—- Over 2 million voters to participate
Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
The Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission (TSIEC) says about two million and twenty thousand Registered Voters will be participating in the forthcoming local government council elections in the state.
The Executive Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Philip Duwe disclosed this at the conference hall of the commission in Jalingo during a meeting with the heads of Media Organizations in the State.
He said the commission has carried out an assessment based on the number of registered voters per Senatorial District of the state.
“There are 168 Electoral Wards with about 3,650 Polling Units across the 16 Local Government Areas of Taraba State,” Dr. Duwe revealed.
He also disclosed that the Commission is planning to customize the Ballot Papers by Senatorial District and possibly by Local Government with the view to solving the problems of diversion of Results and Ballot Papers from one zone to another.
He said that TSIEC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ease the processes of the State’s Local Government Council elections slated for 18th November 2023.
According to him, the Commission deemed it necessary to liaise with INEC in terms of getting production of the electoral materials needed for the success of the local government Councils polls.
Dr. Phillip Duwe, however, explained that the commission is ready for the election but not fully ready because it must seek authority from INEC to get the materials it produced.
“TSIEC wants to complement the vision of Governor Agbu Kefas who was desirous of a Local Government system that is efficient and constitutional.
“Caretaker governance and sole Administrator management are unconstitutional.
Dr. Phillip Duwe described the Media as critical stakeholders, hence their involvement in the activities of the Commission from the beginning to the end of the process.
“The Commission has met with 18 registered Political Parties in the State where they agreed on a date above mentioned for the conduct of the Election.
“The leadership of Intra Party Advisory Council (IPAC) would be supervising the Political Parties on the entire processes, we have also issued a Time Table to guide them,” Dr. Duwe added.
“Because of the security of lives of the electorates, the Commission would be meeting with the Heads of Security Agencies on Monday, 18th September 2023 to chat a way forward – he said.
On the Electoral Umpire’s assurance that votes of the Electorates count, the Chairman said Election Results would be declared at the Polling Units, to the Ward Collation Centre before heading to the Local Government Collation Centre.
While calling on Politicians to go home, campaign, and relate with their people, Dr. Philip Duwe assured them of the Commission’s readiness to avail a level playing ground.
He emphasized that the Commission under his watch would not compromise for anything, saying that “we are under an Oath,” Says Duwe.
“For those who are living in the IDP camps as a result of one crisis or the other, the commission will arrange for them to enable them to exercise their civic rights – he added.