409,000 IDPs to vote in Borno

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained how the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and other residents of Borno State will vote in the general elections.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, gave the breakdown in an interview on Friday in Maiduguri, the state capital.

With just a few hours to the commencement of the polls, he said INEC has distributed sensitive materials to its ad-hoc staff for Saturday’s elections.

Mr Ibrahim revealed that out of the 2,315,956 registered voters in Borno, 409,000 people would vote from various IDP camps.

He also disclosed that eight voting centres have been identified for displaced people in the state in order to accommodate the affected population.

The REC said people in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas (LGAs) would vote in designated centres in Maiduguri.

He added that those in Guzamala and Marte would cast their votes in Monguno LGA, just as Kalabalge locals would vote in Gamboru Ngala as against Rann.

According to him, all other electorates in the remaining 22 local governments would vote at their local units or the LGA headquarters as the case may be.

The REC explained that this was the unanimous decision of stakeholders in the respective LGAs, as a result of the high number of voters residing in the respective areas.

Some of the displaced people were hopeful that they would encounter less stress in the course of the exercise, compared with their experiences in the 2015 elections.

Elsewhere, the Borno State Police Command said it has deployed 11,000 personnel on election duties across the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Damian Chukwu, noted that the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as well as other sister agencies, have provided personnel to support the police for the assignment.

He said the security operatives would escort electoral materials to voting points across the state and maintain law and order at all polling units in line with the laws of the land.