2023 Elections: INEC Increases Ondo Polling Units To 3,933

A total of 924 new polling units has been created across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State, Naija News reports.

The Ondo State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission confirmed this on Friday, May 7.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Rufus Akeju, who disclosed this at a stakeholder meeting for the implementation of the expansion of voter access to polling units in Nigeria, said the units were created ahead of the 2023 general election.

Naija News understands that the newly created units had the state polling units increased to a total of 3,933.

Akeju in his remark explained that the commission arrived at the figure by converting existing voting points that meet the minimum threshold of 750 or a maximum of 1,000 voters per polling unit. He added that the commission had received numerous letters from voters complaining of being disenfranchised due to the far distance of the polling units to their location.

The REC also noted that the decline in voter turnout in the last four electoral cycles could be because voters have to trek long distances to access their polling units. He said, “The results from the field works are currently undergoing verification and the new polling units in their locations will be reflected in the forthcoming Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

“We have been receiving letters for the past 25 years over inadequacies of polling units. People trek long distances and some are afraid of likely electoral violence.” According to Akeju, with the latest development, the increased polling units would be available for the 1,822,346 voting population of the state.

Meanwhile, former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has endorsed Bisi Kolawole, as his preferred candidate for the 2022 governorship election in the state, Naija News reports.