The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday said it would deploy no fewer than one million electoral officials, including permanent and ad-hoc staff, for next year’s general elections.
The commission said the continuous voter registration will end on June 30.
INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, said the election would be governed by the new Electoral Act 2022.
He said Nigeria’s elections were getting better, electoral outcomes were less contentious and voter experience increasingly more participatory and inclusive.
Yakubu spoke at the Public Presentation of the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan (SP) and the 2023 Election Project Plan (EPP) in Abuja.
He said the general election would be conducted for 1,491 constituencies nationwide, consisting of one presidential constituency, 109 senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies, 28 governorship elections and 993 state constituencies.
“The election will involve an estimated one million electoral officials (both permanent and temporary or ad hoc staff) deployed to 176,846 polling units in 8,809 wards and 774 local government areas across the country.
“The election will be governed by a new Electoral Act 2022, which contains many progressive provisions that will enhance the capacity of the commission to conduct elections and manage the electoral process better,” he said.
Mahmoud reiterated that the dates for all activities in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election ”are firm and fixed”.
Meanwhile, the INEC chairman said the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will end on June 30.
He emphasised that the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) does not expire.
Yakubu said: “All eligible voters that are yet to register are advised to do so on or before that date if they intend to vote.
“Furthermore, the PVCs of validly registered voters from the first and second quarters are already available for collection at designated centres nationwide.
“I would like to appeal to all Nigerians who registered between June and December 2021 to collect their PVCs in person as no PVCs will be collected by proxy.