IDPs To Vote In Camps - INEC

Ahead of the 2023 polls, the Independent Electoral Commission has made provisions for Internally Displaced Persons to exercise their franchise in Niger State.

The electoral body announced that voting centres have been created for persons displaced by insecurity in the State.

The Niger state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ahmed Garki, who stated this during a stakeholders meeting on Friday in Minna, said 247 polling units across the state were affected by insecurity in the state.

He added that plans have been concluded to ensure that people from those units are not disenfranchised.

Garki stated that the internally displaced persons will participate in the forthcoming general elections from their various camps.

“248 polling units are affected by insecurity and those people who belong to those polling units would have their voting done from their IDP camps.

“We have identified IDP camps in Shiroro, Munya, Mokwa, and Paikoro. The IDPs in Rafi local government area have all returned to their homes,” he said.

He also stated that 21,038 personnel will be involved in the conduct of the elections in the state adding that INEC in Niger state is fully prepared for the general elections.

The Head of Electoral Operations, Mohammed Yusuf, confirmed that 5,305 BVAs received are being configured for the various polling units across the state.

He added that the BVAs have been tested during the mock accreditation held in some local government areas in the state.

Yusuf said the state had received 461,923 new Permanent Voter Cards adding that 418,541 PVCs have been collected by their owners.

He added that after the last continuous voter registration, the state now has 2,698,344 registered voters.