The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is setting up a 13-member executive team in every polling unit across Nigeria for the 2027 general elections. This move is to boost the party's grassroots presence and ensure proper representation during voting.
Senator Victor Umeh, who represents Anambra Central, shared this news in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday. He explained that this structure will help the party have agents in every polling unit during the elections.
Umeh said, “NDC has a structure where every polling unit, we have 13 people in that polling unit dedicated to duty. In that polling unit, on the day of election, we have in our structure what is called polling booth executives. So it’s in our constitution.
“And we’re building that strength across the country. Every polling unit will have 13-man executives in that polling unit.
“Is it 13 people that will not be able to produce one agent that will represent the party? Of course, the answer will be obvious to you.”
The senator added that the party is also getting ready to have polling agents in all parts of the country. He said, “We are aware of the need to have agents in every polling unit in Nigeria. And thank God, our party has become very appealing to the Nigerian public. And people have surged into the party to contest these various elections.
“These candidates are the people who drive the process down to the polling units. So we are going to be present in every polling unit in Nigeria.”
Umeh emphasized that candidates running for elections will help push the party's structure down to polling units. He stated, “The thing is very simple. If a party is present in all the constituencies in Nigeria, with candidates contesting the elections, the party will be closer to the polling units.
“It will be a different case where you don’t have candidates. Where you don’t have candidates, the party will be absent in the polling units,” he pointed out.
Umeh confirmed that the NDC has successfully fielded candidates for the positions being contested in the 2027 elections. He mentioned, “Today I’m giving you that NDC has been able to field candidates for all the positions that are being contested in the 2027 general elections.
“So it trickles down to the presence of the party, down to the polling units. Because when you have candidates, they mobilise agents.
“When you don’t have candidates, you will be empty in those places.”
He also said he is working on creating another layer of coordinators in each polling unit. “We, for example, are the candidates in the election. Apart from the 13-man polling-unit executives the party has in its constitution, I, as a candidate, am also building a 20-man coordinator in every polling unit.
“So that if you ask me to raise polling agents, we won’t be scampering for who will represent the party,” he explained.
Umeh mentioned that the party is preparing early to ensure agents have access to polling-unit results on election day. He said, “As a senator, I was part of the Electoral Act amendment process. And I remember the controversy we had about transmission of results in real time by making sure that transmission is done electronically through a portal.
“We were the people that voted for it, even though there was an amendment to it.
“That amendment has put the party on notice that we must have agents at every polling unit to get the EC8A series on every polling unit on the day of election.”
He stated that the party aims to have copies of polling-unit results signed by presiding officers. Umeh added, “So we have been preparing ahead, knowing that at the end of it, result popularly, we must be able to be in possession of the polling-unit results signed by the presiding officers.
“So we have enough time to prepare for this, and we are doing it.
“So be assured that on the day of election, you won’t find any polling unit unmarked by agents of the NDC.
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