The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Delta State has discovered 930 polling units were above 999 registered voters, as 169 others were considered for automatic decongestion.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Rev. Monday Udoh Tom, disclosed this yesterday at a stakeholders meeting in Asaba, the State capital.
According to Rev Udoh Tom, the commission arrived at the figure after interrogating the configuration of the 5, 863 polling units for over populated, under populated and zero polling units.
He further disclosed that the State has taken delivery of the 2022 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), which are to be collected by their owners from Dec 12, 2022 to Jan 22, 2023 while collection of the PVCs in the 25 LGA offices of the Commission would take place from Dec 12, to Jan 6, 2023, Dec 12 to Jan 15 at the ward level, while collection of the PVCs back to the LGA offices would be from Jan 15 to Jan 22, 2023.
Rev Udoh Tom stated that in readiness for the Dec 12 rollout of PVC collection, the Commission had stepped up stakeholders engagement to sensitize registrants on the need to come out and collect their PVCs.
He listed the voter education strategies to be adopted to include creation of WhatsApp chat group, PVC collection sensitization to markets, motor/okada parks, viewing/betting centres, cinema, churches and mosques, as well as advocacy to traditional rulers at the state and council levels,
The State INEC helmsman stated that the electoral umpire had concluded the display of preliminary register of voters, to correct wrongly inputted registration details, weed out under aged voters, dead persons on the register and those of doubtful nationalities through the use of Claims and Objection procedure.
This strategy was intended to help the Commission to reach as many stakeholders as possible before the December 12 roll out of PVC collection.
He said at the stakeholders meeting that the Commission had attained nine out of the 14 activities lined up for the 2023 general election, including the publication of notice of election, collection of Forms EC9 on INEC website to be issued to candidates.
Others are conduct of party primaries, submission of Forms EC9, publication of personal particulars of candidates, last day of withdrawal/replacement of candidates, last day for submission of nomination forms by political parties and the publication of final list of nominated candidates by the Commission.
The REC said there had also been commencement of campaign by political parties in public, deadline for submission of names of poling agents through the Commission’s dedicated portal, publication of official register of voters, publication of notice of poll,deadline for campaigns by political parties and 9th March, 2023date of election.
