The election umpire of Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has dismissed speculations surrounding a new controversial prerequisite for voters’ registration, reiterating its plans to stick to the constitution.
The Alleged Prerequisite:
Following the Federal Government’s decision to harmonise all databases by way of the National Identification Number (NIN), a recent report hinted that INEC was considering the same move, using the NIN as a viable database to register voters ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“The NIN is the ideal. When we want to begin the continuous voter registration, we may consider it because ordinarily, a national identity card is what should be used for voting. When the PVC was introduced, it was meant to be in use for 10 years and the assumption was that within those 10 years, the national identity card would be in use by a majority of Nigerians.”
INEC’s Official Statement:
Meanwhile, the Commission has come forward to dismiss speculations surrounding the NIN and its registration process. While explaining that it does not intend to stray from the voting process contained in the constitution, it also reinforced its independence, stating that it was not willing to share its constitutional duties in the registration of voters for the forthcoming elections in the country with any government agency.
“The powers of the Commission regarding the compilation, maintenance and updating of the voters’ register are constitutional and statutory and it does not share this duty and responsibility with any other organ or agency of the government and no organ of government or agency or party can impose additional registration conditions above and outside the ones imposed by the constitution and the law,” said INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education, Information and Publicity, Festus Okoye, who spoke on behalf of the Commission.
What Nigerians Want:
Recent polls carried out by The Punch Newspaper show that Nigerians are against the idea of NIN being a requirement for voters’ registration. Polls conducted across social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, showed Nigerians voted against the idea by 53.5 %, 60 % and 57.3 per cent, respectively
Why It Matters:
While using NIN in Nigeria might seem like a good idea on paper and a possibility in the nearest future, the structure it requires to succeed need to be carefully set in place. The NIN requirement for mobile phone usage has been met with outrage from the public with most viewing it as an inconvenience, set in place intentionally by the government.
This story is part of our new series on Nigeria where we analyse electoral and political reform in the country ahead of the next general elections in 2023.
