Leaders of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, SNPA, yesterday rejected the new polling units created by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The leaders, led by First Republic Information Minister, Chief Edwin Clark and Rt. Rev. Bolanle Gbonigi, said that the additional 30,000 polling units in the country INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, announced, were not proportionately allocated between the North and South.
At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, SNPA lamented that while Prof. Jega gave 21,615 polling units to the North, allocating only 8,412 voting centres to the South.
Consequently, Chief Clark declared that the figures were unacceptable to the SNPA and the people of the entire Southern region, which the group represents.According to him, INEC, by the arrangement had embarked on a political conspiracy against Southern Nigeria and asked the commission to quickly correct the anomaly.
Clark spoke during the joint meeting of the Elders Council and Management Committee of SNPA. He expressed shock that INEC gave morel polling units to Borno, Bauchi and Adamawa, states in the North-East zone where several Nigerians have fled or displaced because of the insurgency in the area.
Giving a breakdown of the allocation, Clark said: “We view with restrain the significant differences between the number of new polling units assigned to the whole of southern zones, (South-West: 4,160, South-South: 3,087 and South-East: 1,167) a total of 8,414 which is less that the figure of the North-West alone (7,906) added to the FCT (1,120) totaling 9,026.
“Or even more so the number allocated to the South-South zone (3,087), which is less than half of that allotted to the North-West zone.
“Then, that of the South-East (1,167) which is less than a quarter of any of the northern zones (North West: 7,906, North-East: 5,291 and the North Central: 6,318. I repeat, all of these are not reflective of any historical data or any significant statistical data change to inform such radical disparity in the arbitrary allocation of the polling units to the respective zones.
“For instance, the whole of the South-West with Lagos, the most populated state in terms of eligible voters in the country added to all other South-West states, is allotted less than any northern zone, a position not supported by any scientific or proven data,” he said.
The SNPA therefore asked INEC to drop the proposed 30,000 additional polling units.
NAN
The leaders, led by First Republic Information Minister, Chief Edwin Clark and Rt. Rev. Bolanle Gbonigi, said that the additional 30,000 polling units in the country INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, announced, were not proportionately allocated between the North and South.
At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, SNPA lamented that while Prof. Jega gave 21,615 polling units to the North, allocating only 8,412 voting centres to the South.
Consequently, Chief Clark declared that the figures were unacceptable to the SNPA and the people of the entire Southern region, which the group represents.According to him, INEC, by the arrangement had embarked on a political conspiracy against Southern Nigeria and asked the commission to quickly correct the anomaly.
Clark spoke during the joint meeting of the Elders Council and Management Committee of SNPA. He expressed shock that INEC gave morel polling units to Borno, Bauchi and Adamawa, states in the North-East zone where several Nigerians have fled or displaced because of the insurgency in the area.
Giving a breakdown of the allocation, Clark said: “We view with restrain the significant differences between the number of new polling units assigned to the whole of southern zones, (South-West: 4,160, South-South: 3,087 and South-East: 1,167) a total of 8,414 which is less that the figure of the North-West alone (7,906) added to the FCT (1,120) totaling 9,026.
“Or even more so the number allocated to the South-South zone (3,087), which is less than half of that allotted to the North-West zone.
“Then, that of the South-East (1,167) which is less than a quarter of any of the northern zones (North West: 7,906, North-East: 5,291 and the North Central: 6,318. I repeat, all of these are not reflective of any historical data or any significant statistical data change to inform such radical disparity in the arbitrary allocation of the polling units to the respective zones.
“For instance, the whole of the South-West with Lagos, the most populated state in terms of eligible voters in the country added to all other South-West states, is allotted less than any northern zone, a position not supported by any scientific or proven data,” he said.
The SNPA therefore asked INEC to drop the proposed 30,000 additional polling units.
NAN
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