2023: INEC To Be Sued Over Failure To Allow Nigerians Complete Voter Registration

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP has made public its decision to drag the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to court for 'refusing' to allow Nigerians complete the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). 

 SERAP revealed this in a series of tweets via its Twitter handle on Wednesday. 

 According to SERAP, INEC failed to allow at least 7 million Nigerians to complete their voter registration because of its decision to end the CVR. The organisation asked Nigerians affected by the Commission’s decision to indicate their interest to join the suit.

 It also urged the Commission to allow those who carried out their voter pre-registration online but could not complete the process at physical centres before the exercise ended on Sunday. SERAP insisted that the commission must urgently allow the applicants complete their registration so that they can vote in the 2023 elections.''

   It wrote: “INEC must urgently allow the over seven million Nigerians who reportedly carried out their voter pre-registration online but could not complete the process at physical centres, to complete their registration so that they can vote in the 2023 elections.

 “We’re suing INEC over its failure to allow over seven million Nigerians to complete their voter registration after they have carried out their pre-registration online.”

 It added: “We’re preparing court papers to sue INEC over the failure to allow some 7 million Nigerians to complete their voter registration. Please indicate your interest to join the suit especially if you are affected, by stating your full names. Email: rights@serap-nigeria.org.” 

 Recall that INEC had on Monday said over seven million Nigerians failed to complete their online voter pre-registration at physical centres. The Commission said that not everyone who registered for the CVR would be entitled to the Permanent Voters Cards, (PVCs) to make them eligible to vote.

 The commission, in June 2021, commenced the CVR exercise via its online portal where Nigeria provided their biodata and required documents, after which applicants would visit INEC designated centres to complete the process physically, with a biometric capturing.

 According to a report released by the commission, 10,487,972 Nigerians carried out their pre-registration online. The commission stated only 3,444,378 Nigerians representing 32.8 percent, completed the process at a physical centre.

 The 7,043,594 persons accounted for over 67 percent of those who began their registration process online, but could not obtain a voter card, which implied that they will not be able to vote in the 2023 general elections. 

 INEC also informed Nigerians that a total of 12,298,944 Nigerians completed their voter registration, 8,854,566 of which were persons who did their registration entirely at a physical centre. 

 The commission had earlier fixed June 30 as the deadline for the CVR ahead of the 2023 elections but extended it till July ending after a federal high court in Abuja stopped the commission from ending the voter registration.