CSO tasks political parties on credible voter registration

Independent Service Delivery Monitoring Group (ISDMG), a civil society organisation, has tasked political parties in Nigeria to play their roles in cleaning up voter’s register to ensure credible elections as well as help in building the nation’s democracy. The executive director of ISDMG, Dr Chima Amadi, said this in Abuja, yesterday, while blaming political parties for failing to play their roles in enhancing credible voter’s register, adding that it was shocking that political parties have not utilised the window for claims and objections, since 2011, as provided for in Section 9 of the Electoral Act (as amended).

“No political party in the country has ever reached out to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with any objection from the copies of the register which they hold. Political parties have a role to play in the duty of INEC to maintain a credible voter’s register,” he said, adding the “existence of a credible voter register is pivotal to having a free, fair and credible election.” He said ISDMG acted on the window provided by the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, sent a request to INEC, in line with the statutory powers of INEC to compile, maintain and update a credible voter’s register, provided for in Section 9 of the Electoral Act.

The group, therefore, urged all registered political parties that have received the voter’s register to make duplicate copies and send to their ward chapters who are close to the grassroots for verifications, in order to identify all unqualified names in the register. Speaking in the same vein, the Director of Mobilisation of ISDMG, Mrs. Faith Nwadishi, said political parties should be responsible enough to help the electoral process to succeed. Commending INEC’s quick response to issues about the Commission’s handling of the electoral process, Comrade Ezenwa Nwogwu, said “the biggest challenge we have to our electoral progress is conspiracy, community conspiracy.”

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