Abuja: No fewer than 1.6 million persons are expected to vote in the February 21 elections to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory.
The actual number of voters for the area councils election stands at 1,680,315, according to the figure released by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the FCT, Malam Aminu Idris.
Malam Idris, who was addressing media executives and journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, disclosed that major processes meant to achieve a hitch-free, fair and credible election in the six area councils had been completed by the commission.
Idris said, “Following the revision of the register of voters, the total number of registered voters in the FCT is now 1,680,315.”
Idris added that INEC has approved the decongestion of large Registration Area Centres to improve efficiency and the movement of personnel and materials on election day, leading to the creation of sub-RACs in Dutse Alhaji and Kubwa Wards of Bwari Area Council, as well as in Gwarinpa and Kabusa Wards of the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
The REC however announced that no election would take place in four polling units across the FCT because no voters registered in those places during the last voter registration and revalidation exercise.
Three of the polling units where election will not take place are in Garki Ward and one in Jiwa Ward due to zero registration.
Idris said INEC had made significant progress across multiple fronts, including monitoring party primaries, publishing final lists of candidates, receiving and batching non-sensitive materials, and activating Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices.
Speaking at the event, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, announced that the agency had procured and earmarked non-sensitive materials needed for the 2,822 polling units of the 62 wards in the FCT.
Haruna pledged: “As is our established practice, the Commission will, in the presence of party agents, security personnel, civil society organisations and the media, take delivery of these sensitive materials from the FCT Branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Wednesday, February 18, for distribution to Area Council offices ahead of the polls at 8:30 a.m. on February 21”.
“No stone must be left unturned to ensure that the election is free, fair and credible,” the National Commissioner stated.
