Millions Disenfranchised

As the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ends the registration of voters, millions of Nigerians may be unable to vote in the April elections because they were unable to register as voters due to one problem or another.

INEC may have unwithingly disenfranchised these Nigerians and the commission has been silent on further extension of the registration of voters.  Last Thursday INEC in a statement disclosed that it had registered 54.9 million Nigerians out of the 70 million it had earlier projected. What happens to the eligible Nigerian voters who have not been registered?

As at Saturday when the exercise was due to end, there was a large turnout at registration centres but it did not really change anything as there was no change in INEC adhoc staff or the Direct Data Capture Machines. Even the two-day extension did not make any difference. The pace was not faster and many would-be voters turned back from several centres in anger and frustration.

On 20 January 2011, when the DDC machines were deployed to registration centres, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega had promised that all adult Nigerians would be registered. According to him, “Our advice is that wherever the machines are deployed, they should allow the exercise to take place. The assurance I am giving is that as soon as these machines arrive we will deploy them. We will take every measure to ensure that every registrable voter is registered if it becomes necessary to even extend in those places so that nobody suffers any consequences.”

Now the INEC chairman should back up his promise with action otherwise millions of Nigerians would be disenfranchised. Agreed, some Nigerians are complacement when it comes to such things but the late arrival and even malfunctioning of the DDC machines are the real culprits.

INEC must act decisively now.. We cannot afford to fail again. Nigerians have placed too much hope on Jega’s INEC and he must not fail us.