BEVERLY HILLS, March 15, (THEWILL) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the body saddled with the conduct of elections in the country has tried over the years to improve on its performances. Only last year, the electoral umpire received kudos for its performance in Edo and Ondo gubernatorial elections.
In the two elections, INEC, for the first time, posted the results directly from polling units to its server, which made it accessible to the electorate. This novel development helped in giving credibility to the elections as the usual manipulation of the results from the polling units to the collation centres was eliminated.
The import of this development was that for the first time, there was relative peace after the announcement of results. Both the losers and the winners were satisfied with the conduct of the election by INEC. Thus, we can say that the elections’ results reflected the peoples’ will. It is little surprise, then, when President Muhammadu Buhari gave INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, a second term in office. Mahmood thus became the first INEC Chairman to have the opportunity of serving twice.
As efforts are being intensified to improve the country’s electoral system, one area that needs to be given attention is allowing all qualified Nigerians to participate in the elections.
The new development which allows the transfer of voter card from one location to the other is a welcome development. Before, somebody who registered in a different location and left that location may not have the opportunity of voting, unless he can return to the location where he registered. But that has since changed, with a voter having the opportunity of transferring his card to his new location where he can vote. Many, who hitherto have shunned voting due to the problem or inability to go back to their old location to vote, can now vote with ease.
This was made possible because INEC has since realised that every Nigerian has the right to live in any part of the country. An important part of voter registration is that an eligible person is advised to register at the Centre nearest to his or her residence. This is to make it easy for the voter to access the polling unit and vote on Election Day. A person who has relocated to another place, outside the unit in which he/ she registered cannot vote in his/ her new location unless he/ she transfers his/ her registration.
The person who intends to transfer his/ her registration will apply to INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner of the state where he/ she is currently residing through his/ her Electoral Officer (EO).
While we appreciate the efforts of INEC, especially under the incumbent chairman, Prof.
Yakubu, to improve our electoral system, there is also the need to afford all qualified Nigerians the right to vote and, so, the issue of continuous voter registration is something that must be implemented to the letter.
Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is an exercise meant for the registration of citizens who turned 18 years of age after the last registration exercise; or those who, for one reason or another, could not register in previous exercises. The 2010 Electoral Act (as amended) mandates the Commission to carry out CVR nationwide and to make available to every political party within 60 days, the names and addresses of each person registered during that year.
In pursuance of this requirement, the Commission at various times has developed the modality for the conduct of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise nationwide.
It is interesting that INEC has scheduled another round of voter registration for the first quarter of this year. INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu, made this known while he met with the Senate Committee on INEC to defend the Commission’s 2021 budget. He said the voter registration exercise will run for six months before the 2023 general elections.
Though INEC may have its logistic reason to haphazardly fix certain period for the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, this arrangement has to change. There is the need for INEC to fashion out a modality that will give opportunity to Nigerians to register as voters immediately they clock the mandatory age of 18. For instance, if registration of new voters stops six months before the next general election as stated by Yakubu, what happens to those who clock 18 years, five, four or three months before the election . They would have been denied their rights to elect those who would serve them either as legislators, governors or president for four years. The implication of such denial due to no fault of their own is not in consonance with the principle of democracy.
In a democracy, every qualified Nigerian who has attained 18 years and is of sound mind must be allowed to have a say in who governs them.
THEWILL therefore implores INEC and the National Assembly to find a way to ensure that qualified Nigerians have the opportunity to register as voters every day of the year. This should be incorporated into the new electoral system. For democracy to be the government of the people by the people and for the people, all adult qualified Nigerians must participate in electing those who govern them.
Nigerians will not accept anything less than the opportunity to register as voters once they reach the mandatory voting age.
We believe that fundamental human rights, such as the right to vote, is not negotiable. We therefore urge INEC not to wait until somebody drags it to court over this before it will do something on the issue. We are aware of high number of litigations that INEC is facing and the cost of prosecuting such cases. So, a stitch in time saves nine and INEC needs to do something on time.
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