ABUJA
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project hasurged the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to extend voters registration or face legal action.
The group made this known in a letter dated 13 August 2022 and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The group is asking INEC to “immediately give seven million Nigerians who have carried out their voter registration online the time and opportunity to complete the process, so that they can obtain their permanent voter cards, and exercise their right to vote.”
INEC recently disclosed that out of 10,487,972 Nigerians who carried out their pre-registration online, only 3,444,378 completed the process at a physical centre.
This represented just 32.8 percent of completed online registration, SERAP noted.
SERAP’s letter read in part, “The failure of the applicants to complete their registration may be due to factors entirely outside of their control, especially given the well-documented challenges faced by many Nigerians at registration centresacross the country.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP and the affected Nigerians shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel INEC to comply with our request in the public interest.
“Unless they are given a reasonable time and opportunity to complete the registration process, and to obtain their voter cards, these eligible Nigerians will not be able to vote in the 2023 general elections.
“If citizens’ chance to vote is denied, that would amount to violation of their fundamental right to vote, just as it would be if they were prevented from casting any vote at all.”
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