In advance to the upcoming general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made available phone numbers that Nigerians can use to SMS-confirm the location of their polling places.
This was stated by the commission’s chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in a message to voters on Friday, February 17, 2023, ahead of the elections.
He claimed that Nigeria’s eligible registered voters can validate their eligibility by sending an SMS to one of the two dedicated lines the commission has made public.
He said that a voter can now check the location of his PUs by texting the name of their state, last name, and the last six digits of their voter identification number (VIN) to 09062830860 or 09062830861. “Example: FCT MAGAJI 445322.”
Yakubu said in the INECs effort to make voting more credible and result management more transparent, the commission has introduced several innovations facilitated by technology.
The head of INEC claimed that in order to facilitate the process, the commission was SMSing voters in new PUs in mass.
Additionally, he said that the Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) had received the list of such voters for each State for publicity purposes, especially through messages in local languages.
He said, “Furthermore, the commission is offering two unique ways by which all voters can locate and confirm their PUs before election day.
“This can be done by sending a normal text message or by simply visiting our website.
“The detailed procedure is attached to this message and also uploaded to our website and social media platforms.”
