INEC Scraps Polling Booths In Palaces

The National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC)  has said that there would be no polling booths in the palaces of traditional rulers during the 2011 elections to check cases of electoral malpractice.

INEC Resident Commissioner in Plateau State, Habu Zarma stated this during a consultative interactive meeting with registered political parties from Kogi, Nasarawa and Plateau States.

“Ballot boxes will not be placed at the palaces during the 2011 elections; in fact, any voting within the palace will be termed invalid.

“It is incumbent upon us as stakeholders to evolve ways of overcoming obstacles confronting the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in 2011.

“Smaller countries have realised the dream of credible elections; our own nation cannot afford to be an exception,” he said.

Zarma decried the lack of internal party democracy, political violence, monetisation of votes, gender disparity, corruption and manipulation of ethnicity and religion during elections.

The commissioner restated the determination of INEC to remain an unbiased umpire in the electoral process, saying that it was “very necessary’’ to sanitise the electoral process and achieve a stable democracy.

In his speech, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the INEC Chairman, who was represented by Dr Abdulkadir Oniyangi, a National Electoral Commissioner, said that the Commission had completed the processes for the procurement of equipment for voter registration.

Jega added that INEC had also commenced the recruitment of no fewer than 360,000 ad hoc staff required for the exercise.

“INEC has fully developed new registration software that is completely owned by the Commission. The new software is currently being rigorously tested.

“The significance of the new software is that it will tackle many of the lingering challenges that stained the credibility of past voters’ registers,’’ he said.

The Chairman reiterated his determination to undertake internal reforms and overhaul the Commission’s operations.