By Emeka Nze
Abuja
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated that it was making plans with the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) to ensure prisoners can vote in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.
Its Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a dialogue session with the theme “Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room Dialogue.”
The dialogue session involved over 70 civil society organisations in the country.
This development is coming three years after a Federal High Court in Benin City, Edo state, ruled that prisoners in Nigeria have the right to vote in all elections conducted in the country.
Yakubu said the Commission was considering creating polling units in Nigerian prisons to give some categories of prisoners the opportunity to vote.
He explained that only “certain categories of prisoners” would be given such an opportunity depending on the nature of the crimes committed.
“We have already engaged the Comptroller-General of Prisons and we have statistics on the number of prisoners nationwide and the number of inmates registered. We are looking at the possibility of creating polling units in the prisons and to enable some categories of prisoners to vote.
“Ghana does it, but there are some categories of prisoners who by the nature of crimes committed lose the right to vote. Whatever we can do to open up the process to ensure that as much as possible Nigerians are given the opportunity to vote, will be done.”
Speaking on the forthcoming Anambra governorship election, he also said the commission would do everything to ensure that the election is not inconclusive or rigged.
He said the high-level of non-compliance to the Electoral Act by the political parties was threatening the electoral system.
Also speaking, the Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, and convener of Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo, said the event was organised to know the commission’s preparations for the forthcoming Anambra state governorship poll and other elections.
