INEC charged on online publication of voter register

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to comply with provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act, by publishing voter register at wards and on its website seven days before elections.

Section 19 (1) of the law states that the voter register “shall be displayed or published for public scrutiny at every registration area and on its official website or any website established by the commission for that purpose.”

Situation Room convener, Ene Obi, in a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, said the manner in which the electoral body has displayed voter register for public scrutiny does not fully conform to the Act.

According to Obi, INEC has displayed voter register at its local government area offices nationwide for seven days from August 15 to 21, 2022 for citizens to make claims and objections.

She noted that the exercise “is a vital aspect of the election process that promotes credibility of the voter register as citizens are able to raise objections with respect to name of a person included on the register, who is not qualified to be registered as a voter in that area or who is deceased or whose name has been omitted.”

To make the process seamless, Obi stated that it was expected that the commission, in line with its current stance on use of technology in elections, would also digitise the exercise as mandated by the new law.