In line with the guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, Abuja, INEC Rivers State has commenced activities for the expansion of access to Polling Units in Rivers State.
In a statement signed by Mark Usulor for the state’s Electoral commissioner, he disclosed that staff of the Commission have been deployed to the field to identify locations of Polling Units (PUs) that already have voting points (VPs) with a view to converting such voting points to stand-alone PUs, based on the template approved by the Commission.
The deployed staff are to proceed to identify locations for the siting of the new polling units, relying on scientifically generated data on the concentration of voters in the existing polling units as well as INEC’s guidelines for sitting polling units.
The reason for the expansion is to convert voting points attached to existing polling units into stand-alone polling units.
He further stated that no new or additional polling units will be created outside the conversion of existing voting points whose identity and locations are already established by the Commission.
He enjoined members of the public, especially communities to cooperate with INEC staff deployed for this important assignment by granting them unfettered access to all facilities and locations where the exercise will hold.
He also advised them on the futility of lobbying for new polling units, as INEC will not go outside its guidelines for this exercise.
He added that the commission hopes, that at the end of this exercise, enough additional polling units would have been created to effectively serve the electorate in the state, as they count on the support of everyone to make this exercise a success in the state.
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