Rivers
2023: Rivers Seeks To Raise Polling Units To 4, 992
Ahead of the 2023 general election, Rivers State has demanded an additional 550 polling units, to scale up its number from 4, 442, to 4,992.
The state said that proving the new polling units would address the challenges faced by underserved communities in the democratic process.
Also, 12 northern states are demanding for 3,323 additional polling units (PUs) as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) begins the process of creating new PUs in an attempt to expand Nigerians’ access to elections.
From the southern part of the country, 14 states also want new 2, 424 PUs under the exercise.
The requests total 5, 747 and that was as of October, 2020.
Curiously, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa and Zamfara states, all from the North-West where voter populations are huge, are missing on the list of the requests for new PUs.
Also missing is Ekiti State on the South-West list, Gombe and Yobe on the North-East list while Enugu and Ebonyi are not on the South-East list.
The breakdown of the requests on geopolitical basis, according to the State of Voter Access to Polling Units in Nigeria Discussion Paper prepared by INEC, last week, shows that North-Central’s (seven states) demand is 1, 732 (30.1%); North-East (four states), 1,321 (23%); North-West (one state), 270 (4.7%); South-West (five states), 1, 073 (18.7%); South-South (six states), 1, 114 (19.4%); and South-East (three states), 237 (4.1%).
The current 119, 973 PUs, created by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) in 1999 (22 years ago), INEC believes, have become inadequate by the reason of the emergence of new settlements across the country, difficult terrain and increase in the number of registered voters.
For instance, whereas there were about 58million registered voters for the 1999 elections, there were around 84million for the 2019 polls.
And whereas the average voters per PU in 1999 were 482.9, the average voters per PU for the 2019 elections were 700.1.
Analysts said the figures could further rise for the 2023 elections as INEC embarks on Continuous Voters Registration to capture those who just attained the voting age of 18.
Justifying the case for new PUs across Nigeria for the 2023 polls, INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, in his preface to the Discussion Paper on the State of Voter Access to Polling Units in Nigeria, argued, “Over the years, voter access to Polling Units in Nigeria has been declining. For the 2019 general election, the average number of voters per Polling Unit was about 700 nationally, rising to over 2,000 in the Federal Capital Territory while a specific Polling Unit in Nasarawa State had over 15,000 voters.
“Furthermore, some Polling Units are located in very difficult places that do not encourage voters to participate in elections, particularly persons living with disability. Others are located in places experiencing conflicts or in places under the control of partisan actors.
“Moreover, because of inadequate Polling Units, many voters have to travel long distances to their Polling Units on Election Day.
“All these have contributed to low voter turnout at elections, egregious violation of election regulations and guidelines, violence and insecurity.
“Crowding at Polling Units also constitutes health and safety issues in this period of the global Covid-19 pandemic”.
Meanwhile, INEC has not disclosed the number of PUs it envisages would be sufficient to add to the current 119, 973 PUs to improve voters’ access on Election Day.
“The requests cut across the country. This clearly indicates that the dwindling voter access to Polling Units is a national problem, rather than a sectional”, INEC noted in the Discussion Paper.
“By implication, the establishment of more Polling Units will be beneficial to voters all over the country, contrary to the conspiracy theories that some parts would be favoured or disfavoured.
“Secondly, in the 5, 747 received from the 25 states and the FCT, population growth, difficult terrain and new settlements were the main reasons given for the requests.
“These point to the fact that perhaps the most important cause of declining access to Polling Units is the non-availability of Polling Units which leads to overcrowding in the few available ones”.
This is not the first time INEC is embarking on an exercise to expand voter access at PUs.
It narrated in the Discussion Paper, “In 2014, in the build-up to the 2015 general election, the commission proposed the ‘creation and distribution’ of ‘additional 30,027 new Polling Units’.
“This was with the objective of decongesting overcrowded Polling Units and dispersing voters as evenly as possible to prevent disruptions, delays and violence on Election Day.
“Furthermore, the exercise was aimed at a spatial distribution of voters, the relocation of Polling Units from unsuitable places to more suitable places and the location of Polling Units within reasonable commuting distances of voters.
“But the effort was jettisoned as a result of unfounded allegations by various political interest groups and the negative propaganda from some sections of the media.
“For instance, the commission was accused of engaging in a ‘disproportional distribution of Polling Units in Nigeria aimed at fostering the dominance of one section of the country over the others for political advantage.’
“Eventually, the commission reverted to the use of Voting Points for the 2015 general election”.
The INEC Discussion Paper shows that Borno tops the table of states demanding for new PUs.
It currently has 3, 932 and is asking for additional 1, 235 units.
This is followed by Niger which currently has 3, 185 PUs but is asking for 1, 042 more.
Kebbi has 2, 398 but is requesting for additional 270, while Lagos has 8, 462 but is asking for 29 more.
Abia which is asking for 79 PUs already has 2, 675, Adamawa has 2, 609, wants 14 extra; Anambra has 4, 608, wants 56 extra; Akwa Ibom has 2, 980, wants 15 more; Bauchi has 4, 074, wants 2 more; Bayelsa has 1, 804, wants 51 more; Benue has 3, 688, wants 108 more; Cross River has 2, 283, wants 356 more; Delta has 3, 624, wants 138 more; and Edo has 2, 627, wants 4 more.
Also, Imo has 3, 523, wants 102 more; Kogi has 2, 548, wants 180 more; Kwara has 1, 872, wants 151 more; Nasarawa has 1, 495, wants 63 more; Ogun has 3, 213, wants 239 more; Ondo has 3, 009, wants 101 more; Osun has 3, 010, wants 358 more; Oyo has 4, 783, wants 346 more; Plateau has 2, 631, wants 114 more; Rivers has 4, 442, wants 550 more; Taraba has 1, 912, wants 70 more while FCT has 562, wants 74 more.
The Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) defines a Polling Unit (PU) as “the place, enclosure, booth, shade or house at which voting takes place under this Act” (Section 156 – Interpretation). Consequently, Polling Units (PUs) constitute the basic structure of Nigeria’s electoral system and democracy.
“They are the nerve centres at which voters make contact with the commission during elections. As such, it is exceedingly important that Polling Units are not only ready and conducive to receive voters, but that they are also well-organized and secure for the beehive of activities that occur in them on Election Day. Indeed, well-organized and efficiently run Polling Units are emblematic of the quality of the entire election ecosystem. Voter access to Polling Units is therefore fundamental to our elections and democracy at large.
“Over the years, several challenges have confronted INEC with Polling Units. First, there is the problem of inadequate number of Polling Units available to voters. As a result of population growth, demographic shifts and establishment of new settlements and residential areas, existing Polling Units have become inadequate. Since the law ties registration of voters and voting to specific Polling Units, it means that voters have to walk long distances on Election Day to vote. Often, they are not able to do so because of restrictions on movement.
“Second, inadequacy of Polling Units implies that many of them are overcrowded during elections, which is a recipe for delays, disruptions, violence and apathy. To be sure, overcrowding varies from one area to another due to uneven growth in population. Still, practically all Polling Units have experienced increased population of voters.
“Thus, during the 2011 elections, most of the Polling Units saw turnouts exceeding the 500 voters designated per Polling Unit. In fact, a review carried out by the commission in 2014 revealed that many Polling Units recorded very large number of voters. Some had exceeded the designated figure of 500 voters per Polling Unit by a couple of thousands while some had over 4,000 registered voters. These huge numbers pointed to the urgency of reorganizing Polling Units.
“Third, the location of some of the Polling Units makes access very difficult. For instance, some are located in very physically inaccessible locations, particularly for persons living with disability. And, at least, until recently, some were even located in the homes of important people and religious groups, who often have political leanings capable of discouraging some voters from voting. Also, some Polling Units are located in highly charged and contested areas, including areas experiencing communal conflicts.
“Fourth, there is the problem of organization of Polling Units. This is related to location. Many of them are in the open, with little cover. Others have inadequate space to cater for the official schema for organizing Polling Units. As a result, arrangement of Polling Units during elections to facilitate voting is difficult to achieve. For example, this has been conducive to vote-buying whereby voters are able to reveal their choices to “party agents” to enable them to consummate the buying and selling of votes.
“This particular problem has become even more serious in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic because the constricted spaces available at Polling Units do not support the necessary social distancing recommended by health authorities.
“Finally, even the actual number and exact locations of Polling Units were unknown for a long time. The Jega Commission (2010 – 2015) had to embark on a verification exercise to enumerate and locate the Polling Units. In fact, it was only after this verification that the number of Polling Units was established as 119,973, instead of the round figure of 120,000 that was assumed for many years”.
The Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, says the state judiciary has a total of 23,870 cases pending in various courts in the State.
This figure includes all cases pending in Magistrate, High, and Customary Courts, as well as Customary Court of Appeal in the State.
Justice Amadi stated this while presiding over a special court session held to mark the comencement of the 2024/2025 new legal year held at the auditorium of the High Court in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
The State Chief Judge, while giving the breakdown of performances by the Judiciary in the last year ended, revealed that the stastics of the cases brought before the courts from October 30, 2023 to 30th September 2024 is 31,886, while cases filed stood at 14,791 and cases disposed in the period under review is 22,725.
He further disclosed that the State Judiciary and the customary courts generated a total of #525,322,478,83 as revenue in the last judiciary year under review.
He described the special court session as an annual ritual of the judiciary marked to herald the beginning of a new legal year, stressing that it affords the judiciary and all stakeholders the needed opportunity to take stock of the activities of the judiciary in the past one year in order to improve, with a view to strengthening the justice administration.
The number one state judiciary officer stated that the judiciary had undertaken a lot of capital infrastructure in the year ended to ensure the comfortablility of the workers and judicial officers, and announced that additional high courts would be constructed at Okehi and Degema to ease the challenges of numerous cases coming from such jurisdictions.
Justice Amadi further disclosed that the state judiciary has a total of 51 judges, 57 magistrates, 30 Chairmen of customary courts, and 60 presiding members, adding that the state judiciary has 12 judicial Divisions, 37 magisterial Districts, and 30 customary courts.
“We lost seven judiciary staff, Port Harcourt NBA lost 16, Okehi branch 1, Bori branch 2, and Ahoada branch 2 . Creation of a judicial Division is based on cases filed from such area and we recommend for approval of such and not for politically based”, he stated.
The State Chief Judge used the opportunity to thank the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for the support given to the judiciary in the state, noting that the success recorded by the judiciary in the state was attributed to the huge support from the State Governor.
He also appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and the media for their various cooperation and support and urged them to sustain such in this legal year .
In their various speeches at the event, the State Attorney General and Commissoner of Justice, Dagogo Isreal-Ibroma, SAN; the Leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Rivers State, OCJ Okocha, SAN; and the Chairman of NBA, Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Eke Cordelia, commended the achievements recorded by the state judiciary and urged that more measures be put in place to enhance speedy dispensation of justice.
The special court session was preceded by a church service.
By: Akujobi Amadi
A religious body in Rivers State, the House of Jesus Christ Ministries, has appealed to the warring politicians in the State to stop the orgy of violence over leadership supremacy and embrace genuine dialogue.
This is contained in a recent statement by the Parish Church Council (PCC) meeting of the church.
The statement, which was signed by the General Overseer, Apostle Joseph Emmanuel; Secretary, Evangelist ThankGod Akpanowoh; Parish Women Leader, Mrs. Promise Aniebet William; and Parish Evangelist, Elder Aniefiok Benneth, noted that the spate of violence witnessed across the state has taken unimaginable dimensions with the recent killings, wanton destruction of properties, and the burning down of Council Secretariats.
It said if care is not taken, the crisis could extend to homes, and therefore called on the warring parties to stop and gove room for a lasting solution.
Blaming the Federal Government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who it said had been seemingly passive in handling the political difference between the former Governor of the State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The kind of crisis we are seeing cannot be rationalised. Whether in Rivers or Lagos, whether we are talking of state violence of political upheavals rocking the state, we plead as a church with the contending politicians to pull back their hatchets of indifference for the sake of peace, unity, stability and progress, and allow the possibility of genuine dialogue to begin, and lasting peace restored”, the church said.
Noting that the xurrent wind of democracy blowing in the state is one of the legacies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and others who preach peace, love and development in the state, the Church cautioned against further crises “in the once peaceful state for posterity”.
It urged the current politicians in the country to emulate the peaceful disposition and virtues of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which is instrumental to the prevailing peace in the state, in the face of continued provocations.
By: Bethel Toby
Rivers State has topped the performance chart in the implementation of the Nigerian Community Action Resilience And Economic stimulus (NG -CARES) programme in the South-South and Nigeria.
This was contained in a report released at the just-concluded two-day peer learning and experience sharing event in Port Harcourt.
According to the report, Rivers State performed excellently in all aspects of the programme implementation.
The state was followed by Delta State, which emerged second both in the South-South and the country at large.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved an additional $500million for the extension of the programme for the next three years.
World Bank Task Team leader, Dr.Lire Ersado, said at the event that the programme has lived up to expectations as it has gone along way to alleviate the sufferings of millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Ersado, who was represented by Professor Folorusho Okumadewa, said NG CARES has gotten the right strategies and approach in making sure that poor and vulnerable Nigerians can smile.
He said the programme, which was initially setup to address suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is even more relevant today with a view to addressing the plights of Nigerians affected by flood and other natural disasters.
Ersado said the Port Harcourt meeting, which is the sixth in the series of meetings held across the country, will provide opportunity for all states in the country to cross check their performances with each, as well as learn from the successes and failures of each other.
Also speaking, Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce And Industry, Barrister John Otamiri, said the programme was in line with the State Government programme of alleviating the sufferings of the people.
He also said the government is ready to partner with NG CARES to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Otamiri said also assures that Rivers State is safe for investment.
While reeling out its performances, National Coordinator, NG CARES, Dr. Abdulkarim Obaje, said the world Bank is passionate about the programme , adding that the bank has graciously extended the programme for another three years with an additional $500 million.
He said within the last three years $750 million was disbursed to the 36 states and FCT in 160 delivery platforms.
Obaje added that 9.2 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians also benefited from the programme across the country in the last three years.
Earlier, Rivers State Coordinator, RiV CARES, Mrs. Ephraim George Imaonyani, commended the delegates for choosing Rivers State for the South-South meeting.
By; John Bibor