The Senate yesterday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately suspend its plan to create additional 30,000 new polling units, stressing that the timing is wrong.
The Senate’s directive, which carried a threat about the Senate passing a resolution on the matter if INEC failed to backtrack, is coming on the heels of the raging controversy surrounding the creation of the new polling booths by INEC.
It would be recalled that INEC only recently announced plans to create the additional 30,000 polling units, which it said would help in de-congesting voting centres that were over-populated.
The move generated controversy as politicians from the Southern part of the country alleged that the arrangement was skewed in favour of the North.
However, INEC chairman Professor Jega, who appeared before the Senate Committee on INEC last week insisted that the exercise was not done to the advantage of any candidate, political party, or section of the country, adding that some people did not understand the rationale behind the additional polling units.
Nonetheless, Chairman Senate Committee on INEC, Andy Uba (Anambra PDP), while addressing Senate Correspondents immediately after plenary session on Tuesday, warned INEC to stop creating additional polling noting that the timing was wrong.
He also cautioned that should INEC go ahead with the plan, the Senate would be left with no choice but to pass a resolution on the matter.
Senator Uba, however, advised INEC to focus on educating the voters before thinking of creating additional polling units, stressing that creating more units at this juncture would trigger logistic problems.
He said, “we have sent a letter to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and we expressed our reservations over the planned creation of additional polling units across the country.
“What he is doing is good but the timing is wrong. We are close to an election year and we have so many displaced people in the North eastern part of the country. So where will the INEC put the new polling units?
“Wuse 2, where they have 4,000 registered voters, now you know the inconvenience coming in, 4,000 people standing in line; it is not possible for you to be accredited and then start voting, many people will come and turn back; it is a good idea but the timing is wrong, that is all we are saying.
“Nobody is saying what they did was wrong; some people are saying there is ulterior motive, there are no ulterior motives in it, that is not the issue”.
The Senate Committee on INEC Chairman warned that “If they continue with it, we will pass our resolutions, it is simple, and once we pass our resolution, will he go ahead? There are consequences when you say you don’t care, that is what it is, but I know he is a gentle man and he is a man that keeps to his words.”
He further disclosed that “we had a meeting and sent him a letter. I don’t believe that there is something he has in mind against anybody or anything but all I am saying is that the timing is wrong.
“It requires time to educate people to let them know. But it is a good idea because it will decongest these Polling Units, 500 each, it makes things work faster, when you come in, you will get accredited and you will vote and go, but when you have 4,000, that is a problem. So, I pray that as we have been working together, we will continue to work together.”
The Senator, who also spoke about the amendment of the electoral act, said: “We are working on it and I am sure the deputy senate president, who is the Chairman, said that by the time we come back, we should be able to finish what we are doing”.
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