Ahead of the 2023 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it is working hard on the resumption of voter registration to enable citizens that have not registered or those that may wish to transfer their registration to other areas to do so.
The Commission also reassured Nigerians that it is pursuing the expansion of voter access to polling units and reform of the electoral legal framework through the quick passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.
Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, gave these indications at a consultative meeting with labour unions and professional associations on the proposed expansion of voter access to polling units in Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.
Yakubu said INEC was working on new innovations to deepen the deployment of technology to improve electoral integrity in Nigeria and appealed to labour unions and professional associations to continue to support the Commission in the task of improving the electoral process.
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“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,” Yakubu 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 finalised.
“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.
