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2019: Group challenges Nigerians to ensure clean-up of voters register

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2019: Group challenges Nigerians to ensure clean-up of voters register

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, a group, Citizens Centre for Democratic Governance (CCDG) has called on Nigerians to work towards identifying individuals in the voters register suspected to be ineligible to vote.

The group in a statement made available to Ripples Nigeria, and signed by Osagbemi Anthony, its National Coordinator, adviced “Nigerians to be very watchful and observant during this period of voters register display, report cases of abnormalities which they have or may notice, and also discourage vices that have the prospect of directly or indirectly truncating the cleanup process”, embarked upon by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

While also calling on “Civil Society Organizations, Community Based Organizations, Faith Based Organizations and other groups to rise up to this call to duty, the CCDG noted that “After the 2015 general elections, several Persons and Groups have continued to call on INEC to do the needful and cleanup the voters register, specifically Dwelling on the issue of under aged registration of voters which took place in Kano and Kastina.

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“Clearly, we can see now that the clamour for the cleanup of the voters register by all and sundry, has since received the attention of INEC following the commission’s collaborative effort with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the consequent investigations that led to the delisting of over 299 foreigners from the voters register.

“We do acknowledge that there is no perfect voters register in the world, but we also agree that there is a need to bring in credibility to our elections especially as INEC through its efforts has identified aliens and other ineligible voters in the register.

“In line with the above, the INEC chairman has said that the intended cleanup will focus against: under aged voters; aliens;and persons registered in abstentia―as it has been provided by law under section 12 (I) of the electoral act. To further intensify this quest, INEC has made tremendous efforts to partner with the National Population Commission (NPC), to retrieve the list of dead people since 2015 in order to update the voters register.

“We are also aware that INEC has handed the voters register to all political parties to join in the responsibility of cleaning it up by identifying individuals in the register suspected to be ineligible voters.

“Let it be known that the process involving the cleanup of the voters register is not a function limited to INEC alone. Though the bulk stops at the desk of the commission, the job to ensure the success of any reformation of such is solely that of the people, given that only community vigilance and public participation can clean the register.

“In line with that, a window of opportunity shall present itself for individuals and groups to help in the cleaning process when INEC will display the register for claims and objections. It should be noted also, that the law allows individuals to ask for the register from INEC.

“We call on Nigerians from all works of life to rally round INEC in ensuring that we have a voter’s register that is free from manipulations against 2019”, the group pleaded.

 

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