The Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD, West Africa, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to provide a detailed explanation of the irregularities discovered in the national voter register and take measures to prevent a recurrence.
Speaking on Arise News on Saturday evening, Chibuike Mgbeahuruike, who is the Election Lead at CDD West Africa, said INEC must go beyond identifying individuals responsible for the irregularities and investigate the circumstances that allowed the lapses to occur.
Mgbeahuruike’s call followed INEC’s recent disclosure that it had identified 54 individuals from 10 states allegedly responsible for irregularities in the voter registration process.
He acknowledged the commission’s decision to recognise the problems and identify those involved, describing it as a positive step towards addressing concerns surrounding the integrity of the voter register.
However, Mgbeahuruike stressed that Nigerians deserve to know how the irregularities happened and what measures the electoral body intends to introduce to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“INEC has made a good start by acknowledging the issues and identifying those responsible. However, beyond establishing who the individuals involved are, we also need to understand how this happened in the first place,” he said.
He maintained that such lapses should never have occurred, noting that since they had been uncovered, the commission must take responsibility by providing explanations and addressing the weaknesses in its processes.
“This should never have happened, but since it has, INEC must provide explanations and address the lapses,” Mgbeahuruike stated.
He further emphasised the need for INEC to give Nigerians clear assurances that the problems would not happen again, particularly given the importance of a credible voter register to the country’s electoral process.
“More importantly, we need assurances that such incidents will not happen again,” he added.
Mgbeahuruike’s comments underscore the need for greater transparency, accountability and stronger safeguards in the management of Nigeria’s voter registration system.