SDP Chairman Calls For Creation Of More Wards, Constituencies

Early Arrival at Polling Stations in Fagbewesa Area, Osogbo

By Kazeem Badmus

THE Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the State of Osun, Mr. Sola Oladeinde, has disclosed that creation of more wards and state constituencies is the only way for Nigerians to be truly represented.

Oladeinde made this known on Sunday in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER on the creation of additional polling units in the state.

OSUN DEFENDER had reported that 753 additional polling units will be created in the state.

According to Oladeinde, increase in polling units will not address the main issue facing electorates in the country.

He said: “Increase in polling units doesn’t address the main issue. The main issue is how the masses will be fully represented and the solution to that is the creation of more wards and possibly state constituencies.

“What we practise and use till date is what has been in existence since the Second Republic and it is unfair to the masses.

“Nigeria is over 200 million. INEC should be able to take the bull by the horns. More wards and constituencies are needed so that the masses will be well represented.

“Under normal circumstances, demarcation of wards ought to be done because there are some large wards with inadequate polling units and vice versa.

“Take for instance, Ijebu-Ijesa where I hail from has just one ward with 26 polling units. Where we ought to have four councillors, we shouldn’t have one”.

Similarly, the Chairman, Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Comrade. Waheed Lawal said turning voting points into polling units is not enough for the development of the country.

Lawal said there is need for INEC to do proper demarcation in order to know the exact number of polling units to create before transforming voting point to polling units.

He stated that the idea will not cater for those living in new sites where there are no voting points before.

His words: “What INEC is doing is not enough for the development of our country. Turning voting points into polling units is not enough. We are having new sites everywhere in the country now. Where there is no voting point before, there cannot be polling unit there.

“So what are the provisions INEC made for those who are living in new sites? INEC should do proper demarcation so that they will know the exact number of polling units to create before transforming voting points to polling units”.