Edo IDPs seek polling unit in camp

As the nation prepares for the 2027 general elections, the management and residents of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the Uhogua community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, have appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to establish a polling unit within the camp. The appeal follows attacks on camp […]

As the nation prepares for the 2027 general elections, the management and residents of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the Uhogua community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, have appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to establish a polling unit within the camp.

The appeal follows attacks on camp residents during the 2023 elections.

The camp also sought the intervention of the State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, to ensure the polling unit is created so residents can exercise their franchise without fear of being molested, harassed, or intimidated.

Known as the “Home for the Needy,” the Edo IDP camp houses over 4,000 people, most of whom were displaced by the insurgency in the North-East region of the country.

Speaking with journalists, the camp’s matron, Evelyn Omigie, explained that a dedicated polling unit has become a necessity. She noted that many residents sustained various degrees of injuries during the 2023 elections when suspected thugs disrupted voting at Erosanye Primary School, where they had gone to cast their ballots.

She disclosed that prior to the 2023 general elections, extensive efforts were made to get a polling unit sited within the camp, but the plan never saw the light of day.

“We made moves to ensure that IDPs could cast their votes here,” Omigie said. “Instead of placing it here, the unit was rather added to a location that already had an existing polling unit.”

An inmate of the camp, Obadan Philimon, echoed the matron’s concerns. He stressed the urgent need for an internal polling unit based on the 2023 violence, noting that several residents are still suffering from injuries sustained during the thug invasion.

“For security reasons, we need a polling unit here. We would feel safe and secure if we could cast our votes within the camp,” Philimon said.

Responding to the request, the Edo State Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Obo Effanga, explained that establishing a new polling unit is a lengthy administrative process.

“The important thing is that there is a polling unit close to them where they are registered and which they can easily access to vote, even if it may not be directly inside the camp,” Effanga said.

He added that if the number of registered voters in a single polling unit or specific area becomes exceptionally large, INEC has mechanisms to address it.

Furthermore, the REC clarified that INEC does not create polling units simply because communities or residents agitate for them, explaining that the public may not fully understand how the commission allocates units based on official data and voter figures.

He noted that when communities express concerns regarding election-day security, INEC’s standard approach is to engage security agencies to ensure that voters are protected and have safe access to their designated polling units.