The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is working hard to resume continuous voter registration to enable citizens that have not registered or those that may wish to transfer their registration to other areas to do so ahead of the general election come 2023.
INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, made this known at a consultative meeting with labour unions and professional associations in Abuja on the proposed expansion of voter access to polling units.
Professor Yakubu indicated that INEC was working on new innovations to deepen the deployment of technology to improve electoral integrity in Nigeria.
He appealed to labour unions and professional associations to continue to support the Commission in the task of improving the electoral process.
He also reassured Nigerians that the pursuit for the expansion of voter access to polling units and reform of the electoral legal framework will be possible through the quick passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.
“In addition to voter access to Polling Units, the Commission will continue to work with the National Assembly to ensure the speedy passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
“This is critical to our work because it is the legal framework that governs our activities. We have been reassured by the National Assembly that work on the Bill will be concluded in the next few months,” he said.
“Let me once again appeal to the National Assembly for expeditious consideration and passage of the Bill. In addition, we are also preparing to engage with the leadership of the National Assembly on the issue of the division, revision and alteration of electoral constituencies in Nigeria. The Commission’s discussion paper on the matter is being finalized.
“As you may be aware, the purpose of the ongoing consultation is to build a broad national consensus towards addressing the crisis of voter access to Polling Units in Nigeria on which there will be a detailed presentation shortly.”
“We have also prepared a Discussion Paper, the hard copies of which have been shared widely while the soft copy is available on the Commission’s website and social media platforms.
“We welcome your comments on the proposed policy which we believe will further enrich the conversation towards an enduring solution to a problem that lies at the heart of electoral democracy and popular representation,” he said.
