Niger INEC Records 34,000 Invalid Registration, Says 39,900 PVCs Ready for Collection

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared 34,000 voters’ registration as invalid in Niger State while stating that nearly 40,000 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were ready for collection in the state.

INEC also said that it would commence the monitoring of the campaign expenses by political parties and their candidates after the party primary elections.

Addressing a stakeholders meeting in Minna,  the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Sam Egwu, explained the 34,000 voters’ registration were declared invalid because  of double registration and the likelihood that community members were being cajoled to register regardless of whether they had registered before or not.

Egwu said: “There is no need for those who have registered before to register again. It is not true that previous PVCs will become invalid after a while.”

He disclosed that the June 30 deadline for new registration would not be extended.

The resident commissioner told po;itical parties to adhere strictly to the rules guiding campaign expenses and be democratic in the conduct of their primary elections to avoid litigation.

“Election is a rule-based game and the amended Electoral Act 2022 has several new provisions that will have implications for the way parties’ primaries are conducted. We identified the new provisions that relate to political parties and party primaries so that nobody will claim ignorance after they run afoul of the rule of the game,” he said.

Egwu added that arrangements are being made to register all the internally displaced people but did not elaborate.