TheCable

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should establish polling units for the over two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the state.

According to NAN, Ortom spoke on Tuesday at a roundtable discussion organised by Platinum Post in Abuja.

Benue is one of the north-central states facing securing challenges ranging from banditry to farmer/herder crisis, resulting in deaths and displacement of residents.

The governor, represented by Magdalene Dura, his special adviser on millennium development goals, said IDPs cannot vote in their communities due to security issues but should not be restricted from partaking in the electoral process.

He stressed the need to give IDPs a sense of belonging, adding that INEC should engage them as members of its ad-hoc staff in the forthcoming general election.

“There is a need for government and INEC to ensure credibility of the electoral process,” he said.

“There is lack of equity and justice in Nigeria. INEC needs to have comprehensive data on the IDPs so that they can create polling units for IDPs.”

He asked INEC to open a discussion with the IDPs to ensure credibility in the conduct of the 2023 polls.

He also called on the federal government to support IDPs in Benue the same way it is intervening in the situation of displaced persons in other parts of the country.