Super camps have been set up to ensure residents exercise their civic rights in the Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives elections on Saturday in four local government areas in Borno State. While there are twenty-seven local government areas in the state, insecurity has made it impossible to hold elections in some parts of the state.
Eligible voters will head out to vote this weekend for their preferred candidates, but residents of Guzamala, Marte, Abadam, and Kukawa LGAs in Borno will vote at the established super camps. Voters from Guzamala will vote at Gajiram and Nganzai LGAs, while voters from Marte LGAvare will assemble at the local government headquarters, Monguno LGA, for the exercise.
Voters from Abadam LGA will exercise their franchise at Damasak and Mobbar LGAs, while voters from Kukawa LGA will gather at Monguno to cast their votes. The Borno State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ibrahim Magaji Mohammed, confirmed the development to newsmen in Maiduguri, the state capital. He explained that the super camps would be cleared for them in schools or government buildings.
The Commissioner also stated that security agencies had made adequate preparations ahead of the exercise at flashpoints across the state. In terms of finances, the Borno INEC office had already “finalized formalities” with the state’s branch of the CBN for the necessary cash required for daily expenses. Payments such as the emoluments of ad-hoc staff would be made online to address the enduring cash crunch.
Mohammed said the Borno INEC office had taken delivery of 5071 BVAS machines, each configured with a polling unit and local government area, and a backup of more BVAS machines is available to solve unforeseen problems. Borno State has 2,513,281 registered voters for the 2023 elections. The Commissioner added that INEC staff and other election personnel would go in a convoy, and the Nigeria Air Force will convoy the air cover to ensure clear visibility on the election day.
