51.3% of eligible voters for 2023 elections are youths – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Monday 51.3 percent of the eligible voters for the February elections were youths.

The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, stated this during the commission’s engagement on the role of youths in the election in Abuja.

Okoye said out of the 93.5 million registered voters for the election, 48 million are youths, adding they remain the major determinants of the election outcomes.

He, therefore, urged the youths to vote massively in the election, saying the process would be technology-driven.

He said: “The commission had already taken delivery of the full number of the Bimodal Voter’s Accreditation System, for the conduct of the election in the 176,846 polling units across the federation. Additional BVAS for contingencies would be deployed to the 8,809 registration areas across the country.

Read also:27,753 new voter’s cards collected in Borno – INEC

“The BVAS were designed to function offline, and, that only accredited voters would be allowed to cast votes on the day of the polls.

“Only registered voters, who present their Permanent Voters Cards at the polling units, would be accredited to vote.

“Over 1.4 million ad-hoc election staff had been engaged by the commission for the conduct of the 2023 general election, and insurance policy had been secured for them against hazards of the election, especially possible attack.

“Punishment for any act of electoral offence against electoral officers has been made stiffer in the current 2022 Electoral Act (as amended) than the provisions in the previous 2010 Electoral Act (as amended).”

By Abdulkabeer Ambali

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