By: ADEBIYI ADEDAPO
The House of Representatives yesterday directed it’s committee on Electoral and Political Party Matters to investigate the non compliance of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) on the Continuoushe voter registration.
The member representing Dekina/Bassa federal constituency
Hon. Benjamin Ikani Okolo in a motion observed the Continuous Voter Register is a global practice which allows regular update. He added that INEC contravened section 9(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 which guarantees compilation and continuous update of a National Register of voters.
According to motion, section 10(3) of the Act requires the commission to within 60 days after each year, make available to every political party, the names and addresses of each voter registered during the year.
The motion observed that 24, 346, 157 Nigerians attained the age if 18 years between the 2011 and 2015, but only 9, 913, 398 out of this number were captured as eligible voters.
“Despite repeated demanded and appeals by Nigerians, INEC has failed to put in place, measures to guarantee continuous voter registration exercise across the country. The number of registered voters increased only minimally from 58, 920, 078 in 2011 to 68, 833, 476 in 2015, which represents on 17 per cent increase.”
“The problem of breach of the Electoral Act on continuous voter registration will persistent, unless INEC adopts a full implementation of the exercise as provided in the Electoral Act 2010, ” he argued
Source:leadership newspaper