Online Voters’ Registration to End May 30, Says INEC

•Abuja school tasks commission to cancel undemocratic congresses

Chuks Okocha

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, hinted that online voters’ registration would be suspended by May 30, 2022.

This is as the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, has asked INEC to cancel all undemocratic congresses conducted by the All Progressives Congress (PDP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) within the last month.

INEC Chairman, Prof Mohmood Yakubu, who spoke at a meeting with civil society organisations (CSOs), said this was to enable the online registrants to complete their registration physically at the designated centres before the exercise is finally suspended on June 30.

According to Yakubu, this would enable the commission to clean up the registration data, print the permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) and compile the register ahead of the 2023 general election.

He explained that for the first time, INEC deployed the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which involves fingerprint identification and facial biometric recognition, to clean up the registration data.

According to him, there were many progressive provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, which required deployment of technology, noting that one of such provisions was the electronic transmission of election results.

He stated that section 54(2) of the Electoral Act, also made provision for assistive materials for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

“This is another progressive provision of the new Electoral Act. Over the years, we have worked with the disability community in designing some of the assistive materials such as the Braille Ballot Guide and the provision of magnifying glasses for visually challenged voters and posters for the deaf.

“We are also working together to collect disaggregated data for PWDs to assist the commission in optimally deploying the assistive materials. To deepen our collaboration, a meeting will be convened as early as next week with the disability community to discuss the implementation of the provisions of the new Electoral Act on inclusivity,” he said.

The INEC boss added that the commission had taken into consideration, the lessons learnt from the most recent bye-elections, on the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), following the complaints received after the recent area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in February this year.

Meanwhile, in a letter to INEC, Director of the Abuja School and legal scholar, Associate Prof Sam Amadi, cautioned against INEC reneging on its constitutional duties enshrined in the extant laws governing the regulation of political parties’ primaries in Nigeria.

According to Amadi, “The apparent violation of some of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 by the political parties compels the Commission to intervene to protect the core principles of electoral democracy as enshrined in the constitution and the new electoral law.

“It is important to stress the importance of the new electoral law in helping to establish democracy and accountable governance in Nigeria. It holds the key to reversing the political capture of electoral democracy in Nigeria by a few political stalwarts, who have turned party leadership into a weapon against the democratic freedoms of Nigerians and the consolidation of democracy.

“The general consensus reflected in the 2022 amendment of the electoral law is that it is time to effectively regulate management of party primary elections in order to secure strong foundations for democracy in Nigeria.”