NIGERIA DECIDES 2023: Facts To Remember As Polls Open In Presidential, Parliamentary Vote
Polls are now open for the Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Nigeria and citizens who are duly registered can now go out and voted for their preferred candidates.
The election is seen as the most open since Africa’s most populous nation switched from military rule to democracy in 1999.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 87, 209,007 PVCs have so far been collected ahead of the upcoming. There are a total of 6,259,229 uncollected PVCs.
As polling starts, here are some facts to remember:
– Voting begins at 8.30am and ends at 2.30pm. However, any voter who is on the queue before 2.30pm will be allowed to vote even if voting goes beyond the official closing time. No voter will be disenfranchised.
– To win, a presidential candidate must receive the largest number of votes cast nationwide and at least a quarter of the votes in no fewer than 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states.
– No PVC, No voting
Step One: Join the queue. While there, an INEC official will check if you are at the correct Polling Unit. If you are, you are allowed to stay on the queue. But if you are not at the correct Polling Unit, you’ll be advised to go and locate your Polling Unit.
He will also confirm that the PVC presented actually belongs to you.
Step Two: An INEC official will confirm if your PVC is genuine using the Card Reader. If it is not, you’ll be advised to exit the area. If your card is genuine, you will be asked to place your finger on the Card Reader for verification and authentication that the card in your possession, indeed, belongs to you.
Step Three: An INEC official will also confirm that you are listed in the Voter Register. If you are, the process continues. If you are not on the register, you’ll be advised to leave the area quietly without causing any commotion. That means you can not vote at that Polling Unit. Upon confirmation that your name is on the register, your name would be ticked and your finger will be inked to confirm that you have voted.
Step Four: The presiding officer will stamp, sign and endorse your ballot paper.
Make sure this is done correctly or else if the signing, stamping and endorsing of the ballot paper is incomplete, it renders the ballot paper invalid.
You’ll be given the ballot paper rolled with the printed side inwards.
You will then be directed to the voting cubicle
Step Five: While in the cubicle, you’ll stain your finger with the ink given; and then mark the box for your preferred candidate’s party.
Roll the ballot paper in the manner you were given and flatten it.
Step Six: Leave the voting cubicle and drop the ballot paper in the ballot box in full view of the people at the polling unit.
Step Seven: Leave the Polling Unit or wait if you wish to in an orderly and peaceful manner to watch the process up to the declaration of the result.
The result of each Polling Unit shall be pasted at the unit for everyone to see.
Hotlines
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA): 08003331111 (Toll Free)
Police: Complaints Response Unit (CRU) 08057000001/08057000002, Police Service Commission (PSC) 07034072677/07034072676, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) 08006472428/6472
NCC Incident Line 622 (Toll Free)
INEC Hotline: 0700-CALL-INEC i.e. 070022554632 | Email: iccc@inec.gov.ng | Instagram: http://Instagram.com/INECNigeria Twitter: @inecnigeria
INEC had established a Situation Room at the National Collation Centre.
INEC Citizens’ Contact Centre (ICCC) was already up and running, saying Nigerians can contact the commission on its social media handles live and direct on Election Day.
Orderlies and armed bodyguards attached to the Very Important Personalities (VIPs), and some politicians would be withdrawn during the polls. They must stay at a distance for the VIP to cast his or her vote.
A total of 425,106 joint security operatives had been deployed for the Saturday election. In the Police there are 310,973; NSCDC 51,000; FRSC 21,000; Nigerian Correctional Service 11,336; NDLEA 9,447; EFCC 350 and Nigeria Immigration Service 21,000.
