After One Year, INEC Records Zero Voter in 602 Katsina Polling Units

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday disclosed that it has registered zero voters in 602 out of the 1,750 newly created polling units across the 34 local government areas of Katsina State after one year of creation.

The State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Jibril Ibrahim, stated this in Katsina at a stakeholders’ meeting on the devolution and resumption of continuous voter registration (CVR) in the state.

THISDAY reported that INEC commenced both the online and physical continuous voter registration at the state and government levels across the country in June 2021.

The INEC commissioner decried low turn-out of residents for the registration in the 1,750 polling units, adding, however, that the commission had registered 1,148 voters in the polling units in the period under review.

Ibrahim said: “It is important to remind our esteemed stakeholders of the creation of additional polling units in Nigeria last year. Katsina State has 1,750 new polling units, bringing the total to 6,652.

“However, the commission recorded no voter in 602 out of the 1,750 newly created polling units. While noting that registration was suspended in 17 LGs, it has been observed with considerable concern, low registration in the new polling units even in the 17 LGAs where the exercise did not stop.”

The implication of this, he said, is that many polling units in the state may be poorly populated or not populated at all, warning that the electoral umpire would not conduct election in polling units where there is no voter.

The state INEC resident electoral commissioner appealed to the general public to intensify mobilisation and sensitisation for eligible voters to register or transfer to the newly created polling units in the state.

He added that the commission would resume the continuous voter registration in the 17 local governments where it was suspended due to the shutdown of telecommunications services by the state government.

He noted that the INEC would not conduct the CVR in any ward outside its offices in the three local governments of Batsari, Sabuwa and Safana due to the security challenges bedeviling communities in the areas.