INEC didn’t release 2023 voters register for Rivers council polls – REC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner(REC) for Rivers State, Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, has revealed that the commission has not handed over the State voters register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) contrary to claims that the latter is possession of the document.

Speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Dr Sinikiem explained that INEC’s tradition is to provide the voters register to RSIEC before local government elections, as mandated by law.

However, he noted that the state INEC office had received two requests from RSIEC for the voter register but compliance has been hindered by a court order from the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Dr. Sinikiem clarified that INEC’s ICT department houses the voter register in soft copy and would typically provide certified photocopies to RSIEC, but insisted that no such document has been handed over.

He said: “The tradition of the commission is that before an election for State at the local government the only responsibility that we have is to give them voters register because we are empowered to maintain and keep voters register for the country.

“However, to make it very clear, the RSIEC has written to us about two times for the release of the voter registers but we have not released before we received from our headquarters an order from a Federal High Court restraining INEC from releasing the registers.

“So up till now we have not officially handed over the Rivers state voters register to RSIEC. We have not, the ICT department housed the voter register.

“And voters register is in soft copy and it is in two ways, either we give it to them in soft copy, we photocopy it both black and white and coloured then we stamp certified through copy. But we have not given them, there is no register in our office that will show that we have handed over such documents to them. But they have written.”

Regarding the court orders, Dr. Sinikiem stated that he has received only one court order from the INEC Headquarters in Abuja and that of the Federal High Court order from Abuja directing compliance, but is unaware of a separate state High Court order.

When questioned about the delay in issuing the voter register, Dr. Sinikiem attributed it to administrative processes.

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“I have the one of the Federal High Court from Abuja which was sent to me by my headquarters directing me to comply with the court order.I have not seen another court order from the state High Court.

“Well it is administrative, it is not that we withheld it, but when the RSIEC requests, they have to come for the processes, they have not come to conclude the processes before we got the court order. We have not released,” he said.

Sinikiem referenced the recent elections in Edo State, where INEC provided voter registers to political parties, insinuating that probably RSIEC might have gotten hold of copies given to parties before the election.

He added: “Normally, like the recently concluded elections in Edo State, INEC handed over to all the political parties registers of voters for 2023.

“That is the last that we have reviewed. But in Edo, they gave an opening for those who have not registered to be able to register and handed over to them. That is the tradition.

“So maybe they are using the one that is out there but officially we have not handed over the document to them.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of RSIEC, Justice Adolphus Enebeli on the 26th of September, during a flag-off ceremony of the voters Register at Ward 2 unit 10 in Rumuodara Town Hall Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the state, revealed that RSIEC had received the voters register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prior to any legal issues arising.

He stated, “The 6th Commission under my charge we are very proactive. A wise man can never be taken unawares.

“We (RSIEC) are proactive, we follow due process. Even before the cases went to court we have liaise with INEC, the correspondence are there. That is it. It is the gift of patience, and planning.

“I’m not a last-minute man. I plan ahead. And so all these things were concluded since last year the correspondences are there.

“The display of register will be carried out in all the 6, 866 polling units in the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.”