The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it cannot rule out infractions by its registration officials in allowing ineligible persons into the voter register to be displayed first, at the Registration Area level from 12th to 18th November 2022, and at the local government level from 19th to 25th November 2022.
In a statement on Thursday by the National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Barrister Festus Okoye, the commission said each confirmed case of infraction would be thoroughly investigated and culpable officials disciplined.
The statement also noted that so far, the commission has been harvesting the online claims and objections, adding that it would do the same for the manual process.
According to the statement, at the end of the exercise, all claims and objections made would be addressed as citizens are in this way, contributing to the strengthening of our electoral process.
Full text of the statement read: “Nigerians would recall that last Saturday 12th November 2022, the Commission published the preliminary national register of voters in its 8,809 Registration Areas (Wards) and 774 Local Government Area offices nationwide. Similarly, the entire register has been published on the Commission’s website for the first time in the nation’s electoral history.
“As earlier announced, the Commission will display the physical copies of the register for claims and objections at two levels. First, at the Registration Area level from 12th to 18th November 2022, which comes to an end tomorrow, and thereafter, at the Local Government level from 19th to 25th November 2022.
“The display will be followed by hearing of claims and objections by citizens for disposal action. In addition to the physical display at the Registration Areas and Local Governments, the register is also displayed on the Commission’s website so that citizens can simultaneously make both claims and objections online throughout the duration of the exercise.
“It is therefore in the foregoing context that recent media reports on the presence of ineligible registrants in the register should be seen. The full display of all registrants speaks to the Commission’s commitment to transparency.”
