Spatial Assessment of the Adequacy of Polling Units in Oyo Federal Constituency, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Elections are the foundations for which democracy thrives and are the basis for good governance. Polling units are the points where these elections take place. The study examined the adequacy of these polling units in Oyo Federal Constituency with a view to proffer lasting solutions to the protracted problem of voters been denied their civic rights of casting their votes during elections. This was possible using geospatial technologies. The study adopted Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing technologies adopting Vector data model. Primary and secondary datasets were used. Data used included the locations of the polling units, analogue map of the study area, satellite imagery of the area and attribute data of the spatial data. Database was designed and created using ArcGIS Pro as the implementation software. Spatial analyses were carried out and results generated. Findings from the results included maps showing locations of the polling units with clustered pattern using Average Nearest Neighbour tool of ArcGIS Pro, inadequate distribution of the available polling units and the locations of the proposed additional 37 polling units added to the existing 551. The concentration of the study was based on the geographic locations of the polling units and the accessibility of these polling units by the voters. The study was concluded with recommendations that include the use of demographic data to redistribute the polling units before the next general elections, also splitting overpopulated polling units to avoid overcrowding during elections etc.