The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday announced that it is making arrangements with prison authorities to ensure that prison inmates exercise their franchise in the 2019 general elections.
To this end, the electoral body said it is looking at the possibility of creating polling units in Nigerian prisons to allow some categories of inmates to vote.
INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, a professor, stated this at a dialogue session with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room Dialogue – a coalition of over 70 civil society organisations in Nigeria.
“We have already engaged the Comptroller General of Prisons and we have statistics on the number of prisoners nationwide and the number of inmates that are registered. We are looking at the possibility of creating polling units in the prisons and to enable some categories of prisoners vote. Ghana does it but there are some categories of prisoners who by the nature of crimes committed, lose the right to vote.
“Whatever we can do to open up the process to ensure that as much as possible Nigerians are given the opportunity to vote, we will do so,” Yakubu stated.
If the plan comes to fruition, Nigeria will join other countries like France, Norway, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ghana, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Zimbabwe amongst others where prison inmates are allowed to vote.
The remarks of INEC Chairman come three years after a Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, ruled that prisoners in Nigeria had right to vote in all elections conducted in the country.
On the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State, he said the commission is determined to ensure that the poll is concluded on first ballot.
“We are determined also to make Anambra the first conclusive governorship election in a long time. So, it’s a priority case for us as we approach other elections,” he said.
In his remarks, the Executive Director Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and convener of Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo, said the event was organised to find out the commission’s preparations for the forthcoming Anambra State governorship poll as well as other elections update.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
