By Martha Nyam
Dr Oliver Agundu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Plateau, has commended the electorate in the state for their massive response to voting during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Agundu gave the commendation after going round some parts of the state and the Jos metropolis even as most polling units began sorting and counting of votes.
He stated that the smooth electoral process was a sign of the confidence the people now had in the commission to deliver a credible and transparent election.
“We have gone round, we went to Jos South, Jos North and other areas to assess the situation and see firsthand, how the process is going.
“I can assure you that the voter turnout is unprecedented, we have never had it like this, it is the same situation even outside Plateau.
“This is to show that the people now have confidence in the commission to deliver a free, fair and credible election,” he said.
He, however, regretted that some polling units in state did not begin voting early while others had issues with locating their polling units.
He said that the commission had introduced a new policy of polling unit migration to reduce the number of voters in a polling unit, a move most voters claimed not to know.
Agundu stated that the commission had ordered that the voter register of all affected polling units be brought in to enable voters to know where to cast their votes.
He then charged voters to remain calm as the commission would extend the time of voting to ensure that all accredited voters cast their votes, with no one disenfranchised.
A voter, Rev. Fr. George Barde, noted that most voters at the Mado Tourism Polling Unit could not locate their units as they had been transferred to new ones, with no provision to locate them.
Barde, however, appreciated the electoral body for stepping in to resolve the situation while noting that others had used other means to locate their polling units.(NAN)
