SLASHES VOTERS BY OVER 1 MILLION
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has uncovered four polling units in the thick forest in Anambra State. The electoral umpire made the revelation in a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Roberts.
He said the commission would soon make its position known on those polling units, just as the body has reduced the total number of registered voters in Anambra state from 2, 011, 746 to 1,711,061.
According to INEC, the figure dropped after the initial figure was subjected to data optimization process, which involved data consolidation, the use of the Automatic Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) software to eliminate multiple registrations and the application of business rules for printing of permanent voter cards.
Meanwhile, the electoral umpire has set aside one week to conduct continuous voter registration exercise in Anambra State ahead of the governorship election scheduled for November 16th, 2013, beginning from August 19 to 25, 2013.
The exercise will however be preceded by voter verification exercise from 16th to 18th August, 2013. “During this exercise, the register of voters for the state will be displayed at polling units state-wide for voters to verify their registration status”, INEC said.
The umpire added that the upcoming exercise offers opportunity for persons who have turned 18 years since 2011 or who did not appear in the register for one or two reasons to be captured in the register.
“There are 4, 608 polling units in the state, spread across the 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs). The commission, at the stakeholder meeting on Thursday, identified 53 polling units in nine LGAs that are without data.
He said the voter verification exercise will hold at the polling units’ level, while the continuous registration exercise will hold in registration centres in level, – except for the 53 PUs without data, where registration will hold at the polling unit level.
