U-Report: Imo Assembly Condemns INEC Short-Change Of The South In The Creation Of Polling Units

Report By Emeka Ahaneku

In a bid to stem what it referred as  a systematic and calculated procedure aimed at eliminating the Igbo’s as one of the  three major ethnic groups in the entity called Nigeria, the lmo State House of Assembly on its resumption of plenary has rejected and condemned in its entirety the allocation of  8,000 polling units to the southern part of the country out 30,000 polling units proposed by the independent national electoral commission (INEC) .

This was contained in a motion moved by the member representing Isiala Mbano state constituency Hon Simeon Iwunze & supported by the member representing Ohaji Egbema state constituency Hon Luke Chukwu calling for the outright rejection of the number of polling units allocated to the south & lmo state in particular. Hon Iwunze in his submission recalled that the Federal capital territory (FCT) in 2011 had about 800,000 registered voters alongside Ebonyi state which is the least registered in South East but wondered why Attahiru Jega led INEC allocated 1200 polling units to FCT, 340 to Ebonyi state & 1636 in totality to South East. The legal luminary questioned the allocation of about 8000 polling units to the entire southern part of the country as he wondered on what parameters the polling units were allocated.

In his contribution, the member representing Ikeduru state constituency Hon Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu described the situation as appalling & should be condemned by the entire house in Unism.

In another reaction, Hon Victor Ndunagu of Mbaitolu state constituency regarded the act as part of that injustice meted on south east since the annals of Nigeria history & bemoaned at the consistent short change of south east in the scheme of things.

Also contributing, the Deputy Speaker, Pharmacist  Donatus Ozoemena decried the low political state of the south east zone after the civil war and warned that If nothing is done urgently to remedy the situation the Igbo man will continue to be relegated in the scheme of things.

He condemned, what he described as, insensitivity of Jega led INEC in the allocation of polling boths in the country and called on stakeholders from the southern part of the country to rise and fight against injustice meted on its people.

The house noted that it is a systematic attempt & conspiracy to rig the 2015 elections and resolved to reject Jega led Inec polling both allocation in totality, while they also called on the National Assembly members from the south and other state Assembly Houses from the south east, west and south to join in ensuring equitable distribution of polling units in the spirit of one Nigeria.