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Millions Of Nigerians At Risk Of Not Voting In 2023, INEC Warns
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has said that millions of eligible Nigerian voters may not have the opportunity to cast their votes in the 2023 general election, if additional new polling units are not established.
Yakubu noted that polling units in the country are in a state of crisis because those established in 1996 were estimated for 50 million Nigerian voters as against the current population of the country.
While addressing members of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), yesterday, in Kaduna as part of sensitisation with stakeholders on the need for new polling units, the INEC boss said it was no longer feasible and sufficient to use the polling unit network established 25 years ago for the current population of 200 million Nigerians.
Yakubu, who in the company of other national commissioners, said that it was “time to work the talk” because “two years to general elections is like two days for us in INEC as it involves a lot of processes.
“There is no part of this country that has sufficient polling units. Crowded polling units is not peculiar to one section of the country alone, it cuts across the country.
“We know ACF is a non-political organisation, but you can help the commission to solve this problem by talking to your members to see the need for new polling units.
“We are going around the country to interact with other socio-cultural organisations and other stakeholders in the country about the request made for new polling units by some stakeholders.”
The INEC chairman explained that the “current configuration of 119,973 polling units was established by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) in 1996.
“In the nearly 25-year period since then, every attempt to review or reconfigure the polling unit structure has been unsuccessful for sundry reasons.
“Consequently, the 1996 polling unit configuration was used for the 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 general election.
“When the polling unit structure was established in 1996, it was projected to serve about 50 million registered voters. However, the number of registered voters for the 1999 general election was 57.93 million.
“This rose to 60.82 million in 2003, 61.56 million in 2007, and 73.52 million in 2011.
“Although the number declined to 68.83 million for the 2015 general election following the cleaning up of the register through the use of Automated Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) to eliminate double registrants, it rose to 84.04 million in 2019 as a result of the commission embarking on a robust continuous voter registration exercise, as prescribed by law.
“The import of this development is that while the number of registered voters increased from 57.93 million in 1999 to 84.04 million in 2019, which is an increase of 45 per cent, the number of polling units remained the same.
“This lack of correlation between the of registered voters and the number of polling units since 1999 has resulted in congested polling units on election day and lack of polling units in many developing suburban and newly established settlements.
“The effects have been low voter turnout and voter apathy, insecurity at the polling units, disruption of elections and in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, unsafe environments.”
Yakubu said, “Declining access to polling units for Nigerians voters is potentially disenfranchising millions of Nigerians. It has become so critical that it must be addressed urgently if the credibility of our electoral system is not to be profoundly damaged.
“With over 5,000 specific requests for the establishment of new polling units, the commission will be failing in its responsibility if it does not address the declining voter access to polling units across the country prior to upcoming major elections.”
In his response, ACF Secretary-General, Murtala Aliyu, said, “I think this is a very clear message. We will make it a duty to pass the message to other relevant stakeholders”.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.