The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has
asked Nigerians to help the commission identify underage persons on the
preliminary register of voters for the 2023 elections.
Festus Okoye, INEC spokesperson, made the appeal on Monday
in an interview on Channels Television.
Recently, INEC published the preliminary register of voters
for the 2023 elections.
The list of voters was displayed across polling units in the
country, and on the commission’s website.
Over the past days, some Nigerians have taken to social
media with snapshots of sections of the voters’ register showing pictures of
persons who appear to be below the age of 18.
Reacting to the development, Okoye said the essence of the
preliminary voters’ register is for Nigerians to make claims, raise objections,
and identify biodata errors.
“The essence of putting out this is for Nigerians to help
the commission further clean up the voters’ register,” Okoye said.
“We want people to
look at the register and assist the commission to check whether their names
have been properly spelt; whether their personal particulars have been properly
captured; whether some pictures are not upside down; whether there are still
names of deceased persons on the register; whether there are obviously underage
persons on the register, so that we can correct them.”
Asked if Nigerians can trust the INEC list of voters, the
spokesperson said the commission cannot claim that the register is free of
“errors or challenges”.
“We cannot claim, in all honesty, that the register does not
have errors. If the lawmakers believe that the register should not have errors
or challenges, they won’t have provided in section 19, subsection 1-3 that such
a register should be displayed for people to make claims, objections or lay
complaints,” he added.
“We agree that the register is not perfect; because it is
not perfect, that is why we have this display for claims and objections.
“We use our automated
biometrics identification system to remove multiple and double registrations
and then we did what we called manual adjudication to remove obviously underage
persons.
“Apparently, there are still obviously underage persons on
the voters’ register and we expect Nigerians to take a look at the voters’
register, both the ones we displayed at the various registration centres and
LGAs and also on the website, and assist the commission to point out these
things so that the commission can further clean up the register.”
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