Nigeria: List of 240 Polling Units Where Election Will Not Hold in 2023 Elections Due to Insecurity

Elections will not hold in 240 polling units across 28 states and the FCT in Nigeria during the 2023 General Elections, says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the polling units have no registered voters and no voter indicated interest to transfer their registration to them during the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) due to insecurity.

Analysis of the Affected polling units by state

According to the INEC list, Imo State has the highest number of polling units where elections will not hold in the 2023 general elections.

Taraba state has the second highest number of affected polling units with 34, followed by Abia, Borno, and Katsina States with 12 affected polling units where insecurity will not allow INEC to conduct polls.

Abia State

Edo State:

The only polling unit where the election will not hold in Edo state is Ugbiyokho Market Square, Ugbiyokho

• Registration area: Edor
• LGA: Uhunmwode

Kwara:

• Polling unit: Open Space Ile Gbeshin
• registration area: Balogun Alanamu Central
• LGA: Ilorin West

Rivers

• Unit: Ukpaku Playground II
• Registration area: Abuloma/Amadi-Ama
• LGA: Port Harcourt

Zamfara:

• Polling unit: Dan Bana Matankari
• Registration area: Bingi North
• Council area: Bungudu

Ondo state:

Two polling units where the election will not be held in Ondo State are located in Ese-Odo (Open Space at Koni Igangbo in Apoi I registration area) and Ondo West (Oladapo camp at Aba Oladapo in Ilunla/Bagbe/Odowo II polling registration area ) council areas.

Bayelsa:

Lagos state:

Adamawa:

Delta state

In Delta state, elections will not be held in four polling units. The affected units are:

1. Open SpaceBy UNICEF Waterboard at Abraka I registration area, located in Ethiope East LGA
2. Baptist High School II in Orerokpe registration area, located in Okpe council area of the state
3. TED Umuwe Street Akporigbe Open Space By Akporigbe Junction which can be found in Ughelli II in Ughelli North Local Government Area
4. Okitimekpe II in Ugborodo registration area located in  Warri South West council area.

Ebonyi:

The four polling units with registered voters in Ebonyi state due to insecurity are:

1. Unity FM Junction (registration area: Echiaba; LGA: Ebonyi)
2. Obodo Ato primary school (are: Nkalaha; Ishielu LGA)
3. Amaegunta Play ground (Akaeze registration area, Ivo LGA)
4. Odidaoyo Old park (Area: Okposi Achara, Ohaozara LGA)

Jigawa

The election will not be held in three polling units in Jigawa due to insecurity, the units are:

1. Garado Health Centre in Harbo Tsohuwa registration area in Jahun LGA
2. Gidan Ganji (Harbo Tsohuwa), Jahun LGA
3. Tosarawan Yolan Prim School II in Arki registration area, Malam Madori LGA

Enugu

Enugu is one of the southeastern states. Four polling units are affected by the activities of IPOB:

Elections will not be held in:

1. Amukpa town Hall (Essodo III) in Igbo Eze North LGA;
2. Otobo Isi Akwana in Ovoko (Umuelo/Ovoko Agu ward) in Igbo Eze South LGA;
3. Iji Village Health Centre in Akpofu/Isienu/Amagunze registration area at Nkanu East LGA
4. Nkagu Village Square Obollo-Afor in  Udenu LGA

Katsina state

In the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, there are 12 polling units with no registered votes, so, elections will not be held there according to INEC.

Anambra

Voting will not hold in six polling units during the 2023 general elections, all the affected units are located in one local government area of the state:

Bauchi state

Polling units in Bauchi with no registered votes are six:

1. Kofar Fada Doka (area: Pali; LGA: Alkaleri)
2. Kofar Sarkin Gigyra (area: Birin/Gigara/Yankari; LGA: Alkaleri)
3. Hospital Junior Staff Quarters II (Dani’Iya Hardo; LGA:Bauchi)
4. Hospital Junior Staff Quarters III (Dani’Iya Hardo; LGA:Bauchi)
5. Marbini Disensary (area: Ganjuwa; LGA: Ganjuwa)
6. Ragwam Dispensary (area: Ragwam/Magonshi; LGA: Katagum)

Plateau State

Kaduna State

Kaduna is one of the worst hit by insecurity due to the activities of Boko Haram remnants, bandit-turned-kidnappers, communal clashes etc.

Due to insecurity in some parts of the Kaduna state, the electoral umpire said there are eight polling units in the state with no registered voters.

Imo State

Imo is the hottest spot for the violent activities of IPOB and other criminal elements who burn government properties.

For more than two years, the Southeast state has witnessed the most attacks on government institutions, including an attack on the residence of the state governor in his home town.

As a result of this, Imo State has the highest number of polling units with no registered votes. The state has 38 polling where elections will not be held.

The rest of the list can be found on INEC portal

The number of affected polling units in the states under review are:

Analysis of the Affected polling units by geo-political zone

Of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, the most affected zone is North East (67); followed by the South-east (64).

Pathetically, the southeast zone has the lowest voting strength as per the number of collected permanent voter’s cards.

• Northcentral: 49
• Northwest: 47
• South-south: 8
• Southwest: 5

Southwest region has the lowest number of affected polling units where elections would not hold in the 2023 elections.

Leadership Newspapers quoted the INEC boss as saying:

Unaffected states

Only 8 states out 36 are 100% guaranteed that elections will be held at their polling units.

They are:

1. Akwa Ibom
2. Cross River
3. Ekiti
4. Gombe
5. Kogi
6. Ogun
7. Osun
8. Oyo

According to the electoral umpire, 18 presidential candidates will be contesting in the 2023 election including the leading candidates Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of All Progressive Congress (APC), and Peter Obi of Labour Party.

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