Nigeria’s electoral constituencies obsolete – INEC Nigeria’s electoral wards and constituencies are now too old, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Atahiru Jega, has said. Jega, on a visit to the National Space Research and Development Agency in Abuja on Monday, also declared that electronic voting would not take place in the country because it is unconstitutional. INEC is seeking to collaborate with NASRDA and the Office of the Surveyor- General of the Federation in order to carry out proper delineation of constituencies in preparation for the 2015 general elections. He said although the delineation of constituencies for electoral purposes was supposed to be a continual exercise, the last one was carried out in 1996, thereby making it obsolete as the constitution recommends that it should be done every 10 years. Jega said, “The review of our electoral constituencies is long overdue. The current constituency structure was developed in 1996 based on the 1991 population census, under a military dispensation, and has been used for the 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011 general elections. In other words, the present constituencies even predate the 1999 Constitution. “It is necessary to review the delimitation of the existing electoral constituencies in order to ensure more equity in political representation, move towards ensuring equality of voting strength and therefore the principle of one man, one vote. “The 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers the commission to review the division of states into senatorial districts, federal constituencies, state constituencies and FCT electoral wards at intervals of not less than 10 years.” Culled: Punchng
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 07:46:26 +0000
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