Some of the Ukelle Leaders at the November 29 meeting held at St Paul’s Primary School, Wanokom.
By Anietie Akpan
Ukelle Communities Mobilze to Beef Up Voters’ Register, Get More Polling Units
Ukellecommunities in Cross River State have commenced massive mobilization to beef up their voters’ register and enhance chances of getting more polling units from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of 2027 and subsequent elections.
To achieve this, Leaders and Traditional Rulers in Ukelle met at Wanokom on October 10 and November 29 to strategize and mobilize to discuss on the imperatives of the continuous voters registration exercise and get their people turnout enmasse.
A statement from the Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Chairman of Yala LGA, Mr. Emma Una,- stated that four Ukelle leaders: Dr Fred Okem, Dr Julius Okputu, Dr Hippolatus Lukpata and Dr Martins Achadu are the main drivers of this project and have already contacted INEC in Calabar and Okpoma to discuss on how to carry out effective registration exercise in Ukelle.
Dr Lukpata, one of the conveners of the meeting remarked that Wanokom and Wanikade wards from the reports received and investigations have made some progress by carrying out ad-hoc registration of voters in their wards. They have already trained registration teams to carry out the exercise at polling units. Most of those registered are left with capturing of biometrics to complete the process.
The target , he emphasised “is to mobilise people in every polling unit for voters register to hit at least one thousand voters. That the Independent National Electoral Commission is not willing to release a registration machine to any ward at the moment except the one functioning at the office in Okpoma”
He highlighted that structures exist in the various wards to enhance the registration exercise and the sum of N600, 000 has been raised by the team to facilitate the onward movement of those to register to Okpoma.
The registration structure comprises the local government , ward and polling units level, he said adding that at the local government level, the structure constitutes of the Chairman of Council, Councillors, political appointees, Community Relations Officers, Women leaders and youths leaders.
At the ward level, the structure is led by the councillor, ward chairmen, political appointees, ward relations officers, women leaders, Catholic priests, pastors of other churches, stakeholders and traditional rulers, while Councillor, ward relations officers, stakeholders, polling unit leaders, traditional rulers and church leaders should lead at the Ward level.
He noted that the essence of the structure is for effective mobilisation of all voters to get registered hence the meeting resolved that, the “structures are to ensure that every eligible voter without a voters card gets registered There shall be administrative office in Wanokom and South Ukelle to mobilise all the voters
Councillors of the six wards are to contact INEC officials on Monday to get itenary for each of the six wards to mobilise their people to go to Okpoma to be captured.
It was also resolved that “Wanikade and Wanokom wards should be mobilised first to Okpoma to be captured in the biometrics since they have already done the preliminary registration”.
