Underage voting: We will continue to clean up INEC registration – Chairman
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the commission will sustain a clean-up of the voters' register to curtail underage and ineligible voting.
Yakubu disclosed this at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Friday.
"We are making efforts to make sure we eradicate underage voting and ineligible voting."
"That is why we threw the register open to all Nigerians who, I think, own it." The register is pasted at all the polling units and wards in all 774 local government areas of Nigeria for clarity and objections by Nigerians.
"We are now harvesting the claims and objections by Nigerians to work on them and make sure that we continually clean up the register.
"I am assuring you that we will continue this exercise because INEC is a national asset that Nigerians should be proud of," he said.
On the possibility of conducting elections in violence-prone areas, Yakubu said INEC was working with security agencies on that.
"Our responsibility is clearly cut out, and that is to conduct the coming elections in all parts of the country." Security agencies provide security.
"Presently, we are working with security agencies to conduct the 2023 elections." We are determined and committed, and with the support of everybody, not just the security agencies, we will conduct credible elections in all parts of the country in 2023 and thereafter.
"For example, who believes that we will have a credible election in Anambra in 2021?" But we did because there was collaboration between INEC and the security agencies to make sure we had a free and fair governorship poll there.
The INEC chairman, however, assured that the commission was working to ensure that all registered voters participated in the elections.
"Those whose Permanent Voters' Cards are burned will vote if they apply for a new card." We will reprint those cards, and the owners can vote.
"This also covers those who have lost their PVCs."
Yakubu said the commission was really worried by electoral violence, including targeted attacks on its facilities and the destruction of its offices and materials, and pointed out that it was not a good omen for the 2023 elections.
While urging the National Assembly to ensure the proposed Electoral Offenses Commission and Tribunal came into being, Yakubu said it was important to ensure that electoral offenders were effectively punished.
He pleaded with journalists to assist in countering misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC National Commissioners and Directors were present at the event.
