The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expectedly done the right thing by extending the period of the continuous voters’ registration exercise. Although the commission did not give a definite timeframe for the exercise, it is likely that the period allowed outside the June 30 deadline will be enough to enable all eligible Nigerian voters to register.
By the extension of the voters’ registration exercise, all eligible Nigerian voters will not be disenfranchised. Although the right to register and vote is not clearly and expressly provided for in the 1999 Constitution, however, Section 77(2) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) clearly states that “every citizen of Nigeria, who has attained the age of 18 years residing in Nigeria at the time of registration of voters for purposes of election to a legislative house, shall be entitled to register as a voter for that exercise.”
But, Section 12 of the Electoral Act 2022 states three conditions for a person to qualify to register as a voter. The three conditions stipulated in Section 12 of the Electoral Act 2022 for a person to be qualified to register as a voter include “if such a person—: (a) is a citizen of Nigeria; (b) has attained the age of 18 years; and (c) is ordinarily resident, works in, originates from the Local Government, Area Council or Ward covered by the registration centre.”
In the same vein, Articles 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 21 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Nigeria is signatory to, provide for the right to vote. Considering the importance of voting rights in evolving a credible democratic culture, it will be commendable if they are explicitly incorporated in the constitution and the electoral laws. In fact, the right to vote and be voted for should be provided as a fundamental right in Chapter IV of the Constitution like other rights.
We enjoin all eligible Nigerians to use the extension period to ensure that they get registered. As the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, revealed, the electoral umpire will issue Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to all registered voters by October. He also promised that the forthcoming gubernatorial poll in Osun State, scheduled for July 16, would be better than the recently concluded June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State.
It is cheering that the electoral agency has so far registered over 10 million voters in the ongoing registration exercise. In its latest update made available to newsmen in Abuja, the number of completed registration stood at over eight million. Out of the figure, over three million registrations were done through online while over five million were registered physical. According to the commission, the country has a voting population of 84 million registered voters. While commending INEC for the extension of the ongoing voters’ registration exercise across the country, the commission will as well address the noticeable hiccups that trailed the exercise in some registration centres. The paucity of machines and registration personnel in many registration centres must be quickly addressed by deploying more men and machines to many of the centres in urban areas.
Nigerians should not be subjected to undue stress because they want to register and vote in the forthcoming 2023 general election. INEC must do everything humanly possible to reduce the pressure Nigerians face on account of the exercise. Where possible, more centres can be created to enable all qualified Nigerians to register.
Since the success of any election starts with adequate voters’ registration, it must be made to be seamless. Ideally, there shouldn’t have been a deadline for the continuous voters’ registration, as the name implies, but due to seeming deficient logistics, the exercise can be stopped, at least, a month to the elections. INEC must also ensure that every registered voter gets Permanent Voter Card (PVC). No doubt, the registration of more voters and their participation in the 2023 elections will largely deepen our democracy.