The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated that voters assigned to new polling units will receive text messages informing them of their new polling units prior to the general elections on February 25 and March 11, 2023.
The electoral commission stated that before the general elections, voters can locate and confirm their polling units by sending regular texts or WhatsApp messages to a dedicated telephone number that will be posted on INEC social media platforms.
“Voters can locate and confirm their polling units before election day by sending a regular text or WhatsApp message to a dedicated telephone number,” INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu said Monday at an INEC Conference Room meeting with political parties in Abuja.
Yakubu also revealed that elections will not be held in 240 polling units spread across 28 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) due to a lack of registered voters, bringing the country’s total number of polling units to 176,606.
“From the feedback we received from our officials and accredited observers following the recent nationwide mock accreditation using the Bimodal Voter Registration Systems (BVAS), it is clear that some voters could not easily identify their polling units,” the INEC chair stated.
“This should not happen on election day. Consequently, the Commission is advising voters to confirm the locations of their polling units through a dedicated portal on our website.
“In addition, the Commission will send text messages to all voters who have been assigned to new polling units indicating their polling units.”
He stated that the INEC has compiled a list of such voters, which will be widely publicized by the commission’s state offices, particularly for those who may not have provided their telephone numbers during voter registration or whose numbers may have changed.
