Tomorrow, Sunday July 31, the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration ends, according to the national election management body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It has been on for about a year now and as at the end of Quarter 4, Week 15 of the exercise at 7.00am on Monday, 25th July, 2022 fresh registration had hit 10,487,972.
The Commission in the weekly update issued disclosed that 11,011,119 registrants have completed their registration. INEC said 3,391,940 of the registrants did online registration, while 7,619,179 did physical registration.
Gender breakdown of those who completed their registrations showed that 5,453,071 were male and 5,558,048 were female, and 80,101 are People Living With Disabilities (PWDs).
Age distribution revealed that 7,828,570 were youth; 2,192,897-middle age, 871,690-elderly, while 117,962 of the registrants were old age.
With this addition, the voting population expected to participate in the 2023 general election, baring any unforeseen circumstances, is in the threshold of 96 million.
But Nigerians across parties, ethnic, civil society organisations, religious bodies and individuals have bemoaned the short fall in the number of eligible voters ahead of 2023. They are unanimous in calling on INEC to extend beyond the Sunday deadline to give more people opportunity of exercising their civic right of participating in the electoral process.
The Commission was dragged to court by a group, Socio – Economic Rights and Accountability Projects (SERAP) over the need to extend beyond deadline.
SERAP and 185 concerned Nigerians filed the lawsuit against INEC asking the court to “declare unconstitutional, illegal, and incompatible with international standards the failure of the electoral body to extend the deadline for voter registration to allow eligible Nigerians to exercise their rights.”
In the suit, SERAP had asked the court for “an order restraining INEC, its agents, privies, assigns, or any other person(s) claiming through it” from discontinuing the continuous voters’ registration exercise pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
SERAP submitted that “extending the voter registration exercise would also bolster voter confidence in the electoral process.”
“One of the people’s most sacred rights is the right to vote. The commission has a constitutional and statutory responsibility to ensure the effective exercise of the right of all eligible voters to participate in their own government.
“The extension of voter registration would ensure that Nigerian voters are treated equally and fairly. The future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on it.”
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations in the country, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room), called on INEC to extend the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) because of the believe that “citizens have now intensified their efforts in registering.
The coalition faulted certain processes in the entire exercise.
Convener of the Situation Room, Ene Obi said “there were lots of complaints while the pre-registrations were open on the online voters’ portal, that confirmed scheduling was not observed by officers at many INEC offices leading to people being treated as walk-in registrants and asked to queue to supply the same details already provided online.
“While we note some registrants wait for last minute to meet deadlines for registration, it is also worthy to note that there have been several complaints of inadequate manpower and equipment in INEC offices, thus making it difficult to have a seamless registration process. This has led to delays and restiveness of citizens waiting to register in long queues.
“Situation Room is further concerned that INEC is yet to cover many of the rural communities in this process thereby excluding citizens who may be far away from the INEC LGA offices.
While calling for extension, the Coalition of Nigerian Voters, CNV claimed millions of Nigerians are still unable to register.
It blamed this on the sparse registration centres across the country.
The Convener, CNV, Asuzu Echezona, said the deadline is in contest to promise by the INEC chairman that every Nigerian willing to vote in the 2023 general elections would be given the opportunity to register and to collect their Permanent Voters Card.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had a week to the early June 30 deadline assured Nigerian of indefinite extension of the exercise.
He told the surging Nigerian youths at the Youths Vote Count Concert at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja that “the exercise will continue until we are satisfied that eligible voters have been given the opportunity to register”
The awareness campaign was organised by INEC, in partnership with the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN), and YIAGA Africa. It was aimed at mobilising youths across the state for the ongoing nationwide CVR exercise.
Now that the Commission stuck to its gun that the exercise ends on Monday, CNV Echezona said “with the current rate of registration, it is public knowledge that there is no magic that would make INEC accommodate every voter who wants to register for the 2023 general elections before the current deadline of 31st July 2022.
“This would result in the disenfranchisement of millions of Nigerians willing and eager to perform their civic responsibilities in the 2023 polls. This would be a defeatist of INEC objectives.
“We are also concerned about the insufferable difficulties faced by Nigerian voters trying to register especially those in many parts of Northern Nigeria, South West, South-South and South East. There are cases of registration centres located in private homes. There are instances of voters being extorted different amounts of money to be registered.
“We are also worried about the suspension of registration as a result of violence in the South East particularly in Enugu State.
“We believe that if INEC could allow voter registration to go on in parts of Nigeria where terrorist operations and banditry have become entrenched, it is suspicious and an exercise in bad faith to disenfranchise numerous communities in the South East on the guise of isolated security breaches. This suggests a hidden agenda wrapped in mischief.
The CNV convener called on INEC to extend the Continuous Voters Registration till at least the end of August 2022.
Recall that the House of Representatives had earlier asked INEC to extend the exercise to the end of August 2022 to shore up the identified difficulties faced by voters.
The extension, it was argued will help in building public trust toward peaceful electoral outcomes in the 2023 general election.
The move by the House of Representatives came amid calls on INEC to extend the exercise by many groups
Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State asked INEC to do so to enable more Nigerians participate in the election.
He backed his demand with the provisions of Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act which says : “The registration of voters, updating and revision of the Register of Voters under this section shall stop not later than 90 days before any election covered by this Act.”
Kalu said: “The House also notes that the decision to suspend the voters’ registration is in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, which requires INEC to suspend voters’ registration at least 60 days before an election.”
The Labour Party (LP) kicked against the deadline, arguing that 30 million Nigerians are about to be disenfranchised should INEC close registration tomorrow.
But other parties, including the dominant ruling political groupings, APC and PDP, appear indifferent and prefer the status quo, relying on their own registered members to deliver the ballots at the 2023 polls.
One of the pro-LP groups, Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO), even threatened protest if the deadline is not extended.
in an open letter to INEC signed by its Media Director, Chief Tochukwu Ezeoke, the umbrella for all Peter Obi support groups, said it would embark on a civil protest if INEC fails to not only extend the deadline for Permanent voters card registration and register new centres but, make an undertaking that all Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) must be ready at least 60 days before the date of the election.
Part of the letter reads; “An Open Letter from the Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), concerning INDIRECT disenfranchisement of about 30m would-be Voters in the 2023 General Election”
“The Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO) is an umbrella organisation made up of various Peter Obi Support Groups with membership drawn from all walks of life, age groups, gender and ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and beyond. Our members are spread across the world and have chosen to synergize efforts and resources towards the single objective of entrenching good governance in Nigeria through a Peter Obi Presidency and continue with our mandates thereafter”.
“The Commission is aware that it was established in accordance with section 153(f) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) the Core functions of the Commission as stipulated in Part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution are as listed below with particular emphasis to Subsection 5 where our concerns are captured”.
5. Arrange and conduct the registration of persons qualified to vote as well as prepare, maintain and revise the Register of Voters for the purpose of any election under this Constitution.
“Every eligible citizen has the right to register and vote in democratic elections. However, the right to vote cannot be effectively exercised without a place to register, and Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) ready for collection before the date of the election”
Citizens’ right to take part in the election process must not be marred by huddles designed to disenfranchise them.
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The group went further to note that, “the percentage of eligible citizens that had registered and taken part in the previous election had hovered around 35%.
“We believe this number is very poor by every standard measurable and have made a concerted effort to ensure a sharp increase in the numbers through massive nationwide awareness and mobilisation campaigns as evidenced in the surge by new electorates recently.
“Our members have complained bitterly and consistently of their inability to go through the continuous registration process as either there are insufficient staff members and/or computers devices at designated registration centres or insufficient registration centres due to the sudden surge and desire for the younger demographic to register and take part in the 2023 Election. We understand that some of our members had to take days off from their respective daily endeavours to register but sadly and disappointedly most did not succeed”.
Threatening protest, the CPO said it has the mandate of members worldwide to embark on a civil/ peaceful protest if the Commission fails to do the following: “extend the deadline for registration until the end of September 2022, Increase Registration Centres, Staffs and indeed be flexible to plug into locations provided by citizens in close proximity to their respective places of daily endeavours and an undertaking that all Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) must be ready at least 60 days before the date of the election.”
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) insisted that it is possible for INEC to extend the exercise without affecting it’s scheduled activities for the 2023 election.
The Deputy National Youth Leader of the party, Hon. Tim Osadolor said ” this is just a matter of willingness on the part of INEC. The Commission acceded to the request to extend time for presidential primaries because of the ruling party, the APC because it became very clear that the party was unable to meet up with the deadline then.
He said “if it is possible for an umpire in electoral contest to extend the deadline for an interested party that failed to abide by its regulation, then it should not be difficult for INEC to listen to yearnings of Nigerians for at least a month extension.”
The PDP advised that INEC should make the exercise easier by deploying more hands in voters registration centre and ensuring prompt printing of PVCs to those already registered. “INEC should decentralize registration centres to polling units to create avenue for accessibility for people who spend useful hours and days queuing in centralized locations,” said Osadolor.
Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Dumebi Kachikwu had also raised the question on possible deliberate motive by INEC to disenfranchise millions of Nigerians.
While urging INEC to extend the exercise, Kachikwu said the success of the 2023 general elections depends a lot on public perception of the Commission as unbiased and fair to all.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential flag bearer, Prince Adewole Adebayo also expressed the party’s wish that INEC could allow more willing people to register by extending duration of the exercise
Prince Adebayo said “there is no doubt that enough Nigerians have not been registered. We are than 200 million in population but not a half of the population have been registered. According to INEC, we have 84 million voters in 2019 and they said they have registered about 11 million in the ongoing exercise bringing the total registered voters to about 96 million.
“This still fall short of expectation. At least we should have about 150 million eligible voters What will happen to the rest if INEC should end registration on July 31 as announced. They need to extend the exercise.”
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