Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu
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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has sought the support of the Civil Society Organisations, CSOs in cleaning up the nation’s voters register.
Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the call during the Commission’s quarterly Consultative meeting with the CSOs in Abuja on Thursday.
Prof. Yakubu said that during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which started on June 28 and was suspended on July 31, 2022, a total of 12,298,944 new voters successfully completed their registrations.
He said that after a rigorous cleaning-up of the data using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), a total of 2,780,756 (22.6 per cent) were identified as ineligible registrants and invalidated from the record as a result of double/multiple registrations, under-aged persons, and outright fake registrations.
The INEC Chairman explained that after the delisting of the ineligible registrants, a total of 9,518,188 newly registered voters has been added to the existing 84,004,084 voters which now brings the total to 93,522,272 registered voters at the moment.
Prof. Yakubu explained that, in accordance with the law, the Commission would be publishing the hard copies of the new register at designated centres of the 8,809 Registration Areas (Wards) and 774 LGAs across the country and the entire register on its website from Saturday, Nov. 12 to Friday, Nov. 25 for claims and objections by Nigerians.
“I will like to appeal to all Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the display to scrutinise the list and help us clean it further so that the final register of voters for the 2023 general election can be compiled and published.
“We played our own part, which was to do the initial cleaning up of the register, but the law required that Nigerians help us, and that is why we’re printing 9.3 million copies of the register and displaying the same at the wards and local governments nationwide.
“Let me once again appeal to civil society and Nigerians in general to please when we paste the list, check and scrutinise so that if there are still ineligible persons in the register kindly draw our attention to it so that at the end of the day, we’ll have a clearer and better register for the election.”
On the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), he said that the Commission was working hard to ensure the completion of the printing of the remaining PVCs for new voters and those that applied for transfer or the replacement of their lost or damaged cards.
Prof. Yakubu disclosed that in the coming days, INEC would inform Nigerians of its plan to ensure a seamless collection of the PVCs.
“Since the end of the CVR in July this year, we have been working to ensure that citizens have a pleasant experience when they come to collect their cards, including collaboration with civil society organisations for a pilot exercise in the Federal Capital Territory.”
“We have been doing a pilot with some of the civil society organisations and the FCT. We are exploring the possibility of scaling up the FCT pilot for nationwide application and we have been receiving separate letters from several civil society organisations offering to partner with the Commission to ensure a seamless collection of the PVCs
“At this meeting we will discuss both the FCT pilot, what we are doing with the CSOs and any other proposal the CSOs have to help us. This is our election; it is not the INEC election. It is Nigeria’s elections. It is only when we come together that we can have the kind of credible elections that we all expect”.
He continued, “It is not just for INEC alone. It is for all of us as Nigerians, and we will make every information available to every conscientious individual or group that wants to partner with the Commission to deliver credible elections in 2023. “⁰
The INEC Chairman further called for the continued support of CSOs to INEC, saying the ultimate objective of the Commission is to deliver a credible election in 2023 and we are very happy with our partnership with CSOs. ”
Speaking on behalf of the CSOs, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Mrs Mufuliat Fijabi, expressed the organisations’ commitment to enhancing the process of elections in Nigeria and to having credible elections.
“We, however, seek this medium to also call on the Commission to continue with real-time collaboration with civil society organisations, and its turn around on feedback as things unfold for the 2023 General Election in Nigeria.”
She said “While I commend the Commission, I also wish to state clearly that CSOs, as critical stakeholders, will continue to do our best to make the democracy of Nigeria one that is good and one that we are proud of as Nigerians that remains a standard example for other African countries. ”
