Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged that no eligible Nigerian would be left out of the electoral process on account of displacement, disability or other circumstances that may limit citizens’ participation in the electoral process.
Chairman of the commission Prof Yakubu Mahmood stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at the validation of revised framework and regulations for voting by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Yakubu said the revised framework and regulations for voting by IDPs “presented to stakeholders today has taken into consideration several developments since the last review and validation exercise in 2018.”
According to Yakubu, developments that necessitated the validation included “the increased number of IDPs as a result of widespread insecurity nationwide.
“Secondly, to incorporate not only the displaced citizens arising from armed conflicts but also natural emergencies such as flooding.
“Thirdly, to align the framework with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, specifically Section 24(1) which empowers the Commission to ensure that, as far as practicable, no Nigerian is disenfranchised on account of displacement by emergency situations.
“Finally, to align the framework with the national policy on internally displaced persons 2021.”
While calling on stakeholders to make useful contributions at the validation, the INEC boss stated that “what is presented to you is essentially a draft. We look forward to your input so that working together, we can enrich the framework as well as the regulations for voting by IDPs.
“Beyond the validation of the document, we also look forward to a robust collaboration with stakeholders for voter education and sensitisation of IDPs.”
Figures from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNICR) and Internally Displaced Persons Monitoring Centre (IDPMC) indicated that in 2021, the number of IDPs in Nigeria rose to 3,228,380
Prof Yakubu also used the occasion to assure Nigerians that the commission would display the comprehensive voter register in all the 8,809 wards and 774 Local Government Areas/Area Councils nationwide as envisaged in Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.
He debunked the accusation at a recent a press briefing of failure of the commission to display the voters’ register as provided by Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022. This claim is incorrect.
He stated, “What the commission displayed for claims and objections in our Local Government Area offices nationwide for a period of one week, from 15th – 21st August 2022, was not the entire register of voters but the list of fresh registrants at the end of the Fourth and last quarter of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise covering the period from 11th April – 31st July 2022.
“This has been the practice for several years. Earlier, the Commission had displayed the register three times: 24th – 30th September 2021 (First Quarter), 24th – 30th December 2021 (Second Quarter) and 26th March – 1st April 2022 (Third Quarter).
“A comprehensive schedule of the CVR exercise and the display of the register was shared with stakeholders at our quarterly meeting just before the inception of the exercise in June last year.
“We wish to assure Nigerians that the commission will display the comprehensive register in all the 8,809 Wards and 774 Local Government Areas/Area Councils nationwide as envisaged in Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“This will integrate fresh voters registered under the last CVR exercise to the existing register of over 84 million voters. The date will be announced as soon the Commission completes the ongoing Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to weed out all double/multiple as well as ineligible registrants. We appeal to some of our friends in civil society to be guided accordingly.
He appreciated the commission’s development partners for their continuous encouragement and support as well as all stakeholders for your presence.
