Election materials will not be deployed in 86 polling units out of a total of 5,720 polling units in Anambra State for the November 6 governorship election, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, disclosed this during a special consultative meeting of Chairmen and Leaders of Political Parties held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
The impacted polling units were among the 1,112 new polling units created when INEC turned some voting locations into polling units, he said, adding that the units also had no voters from the recent Continues Voters Registration CVR operation.
“The Anambra Governorship election will be the first first that voting is taking place in polling units since the recent successful conversion of voting points arising from the expansion of voter access to polling units in Nigeria. An additional 1,112 polling units were established in Anambra State in addition to the existing 4,608 locations. This brings the total number of polling units in the State to 5,720.
“Voters were encouraged to seize the opportunity of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to transfer to the new polling units most convenient for them.
The INEC Chairman explained that perhaps owing to the the security situation in Anambra State,voters did not did not take advantage of the new polling units by transferring their card there to ease access to polling units
He also disclosed that about 894 polling units were found to have between 1-49 voters ,adding that Election materials would be deployed in those units and voting as well as results collated .
He urged the political parties to ensure that their agents monitor the release of Sensitive materials from the Central Bank in Awka,as he observed that one political party failed to nominate polling agent for the election even though it has a Governorship candidate.
