Lawmaker Seeks Extension Of Voter Registration
Following widespread hitches and the deluge of complaints trailing the ongoing voter registration exercise nationwide, an Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, candidate for the forthcoming elections into Eti-Osa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Babajide Akinloye has joined the growing list of Nigerians calling for the extension of the exercise.
Akinloye, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly said only the extension of the 29 January deadline for the registration could accommodate several millions of Nigerians who had not yet performed this essential civic task across the country.
The ACN candidate said the process which had been characterised by human and logistic challenges could disenfranchise millions of prospective voters in the April polls unless the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC extended the two weeks earmarked for the exercise and address the hindrances noticed and identified by Nigerians.
“I am joining the patriotic league of Nigerians calling on INEC to ensure that more time is given to qualified voters to participate in this civic process of building a virile democratic platform for the country where people will be given the free will to fulfill their franchise without being unduly disenfranchised by INEC’s computer and other drawbacks that could have been avoided if the electoral body had planned well ahead of the exercise,†he said.
According to Akinloye, although there were some marked improvements in the entire process unlike the first two days that the registration commenced, the INEC should urgently address the fundamental hitches trailing the voter registration and not just extend the exercise because people were calling for more time.
Comments