As the 2023 Nigerian general election draws closer, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says it is now set to commence activities for the expansion of access to Polling Units in Rivers State.

Resident Electoral Commissioner, INEC, Rivers State Obo Effanga, in a statement said, staff of the Commission “are now being deployed to the field to identify the locations of Polling Units (PUs) that already have voting points (VPs) with a view to converting such voting points to stand-alone PUs, based on the template approved by the Commission”.

He added that those Staff shall also proceed to identify locations for the siting of the new polling units, relying on scientifically generated data on the concentration of voters in the existing polling units.

The statement, which was signed on behalf of Obo Effanga by the Head, Voter Education and Publicity, Mark Usulor, and made available to Kristina Reports Thursday 22 April, 2021, reminded the public that “the principle for the expansion of the access to polling units is simply to convert the voting points attached to the existing polling units into stand alone polling units”

The commision clarified that “no new or additional polling units will be created outside the conversion of existing voting points whose identity and locations are already established by the Commission.”

As conditions for the expansion, Effanga called on members of communities in Rivers State to “cooperate with INEC staff deployed for this important assignment by granting them unfettered access to all facilities and locations where the exercise will take place, warning against the clamour for new polling units as such efforts will end in futility following the need to adhere strictly to INEC’s guidelines for the exercise.