By Jennifer John
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Imo State has expressed its readiness to conduct the forthcoming general elections in the state.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Sylvia Agu made this disclosure during a press briefing at the commission’s Head Office in Owerri.
Agu said; “INEC, Imo State is fully ready for the elections. All non sensitive materials have been received and distributed to the various LGAs, BVAS trainings have been concluded, while the training of Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers is still ongoing, as INEC is yet again poised to conduct credible, free and fair elections”.
On its plans to conduct elections in volatile areas of the state, the REC said the stadium at Okigwe would be used as centre for the election, while a centre has also been selected for Orlu LGA, but no clear plan was disclosed for Orsu and other very high volatile areas, though she gave an assurance that voters from those areas would not be disenfranchised.
She said the commission still had uncollected Permanent Voters Cards piled up in each of LGA centres.
The REC outlined the voting procedures to be adopted by the commission thus; pool shall open at 8:30am and close at 2:30pm, but if there are accredited voters on the queue at that point (2:30pm) they shall be attended to, an eligible voter is expected to present his or her PVC for accreditation with the Bimordial Voters Accreditation System (BVAS).
She added, “The voter is allowed to leave after casting his or her vote, or stay 300 metres away from the voting area, to witness vote sorting and counting.
The Presiding Officer is expected to transmit the result electronically to the INEC Result Viewing Portal and then proceed to RA Collation Centre for result presentation”.
The REC disclosed that the commission, in the exercise of the powers vested in it by the section 40, sub section 2 of the new Electoral Act, 2022, has allotted voters from over crowded poling units to less congested poling units within the same location.
According to her, the reason behind the idea was to promote a more pleasant and stress free voting experience.
Agu added;”The commission has therefore published the list of eligible voters for the respective poling units on its online platforms; www.cvr.inecnigeria.org or voter.inecnigeria.org”.
She encouraged interested voters to check their names on the platforms or at the poling units where they normally vote during elections, as the commission will publish the names/register on the poling units, prior to the election.
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