The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Thursday announced that its had registered 663,748 voters in 1,939 units for the Bayelsa governorship election slated for December 5.

A national commissioner,Lawrence Nwuruku, who disclosed this in Yenagoa while speaking on the updated voters’ register for the state, said the publication of the register was in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.

Nwuruku said that “the voters’ register must be published at least one month to the election,” noting that “a total of 663,748 voters are eligible to vote in 1,939 voting points after the continuous voter registration exercise held in the state from October 2 to 9 this year”.

He said there was an increase of more than 53,000 registered voters in 1,804 polling units from the register used during the 2015 general elections.

“The breakdown based on gender distribution, showed that men constitute 54 per cent while women make up 46 per cent of the voting population,” the commissioner stated.

Giving further breakdown of the voting population, he said that 250,000 students were registered while businessmen were 120,000; fishermen and farmers 80,000; civil servants 70,000; and housewives 10,000.

Continuing with the breakdown, Nwuruku said that the age bracket showed that voters aged 31-50 years were the highest with 46 per cent, 18-30 years, 41 per cent; 51-70, years 11 per cent; and above 70 years only two per cent.

“We expect all registered voters to come out en-masse and participate during the election,” he said.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Bayelsa, Baritor Kpagih, commended the presentation of the voter’s register in the state, adding that the electoral body would intensify preparations for the December 5  polls.