A former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to link voters’ register with the database of the National Identification Number (NIN) to ensure credibility and transparency in the country’s elections.
He added that doing this would automatically bring an end to the era of underage voting and multiple registrations.
Aregbesola stated this Tuesday while presenting the lead paper titled, “Towards Free, Fair and Credible Elections,” at the 7th International Conference of the Professional Statisticians Society of Nigeria (PSSN) held at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
“I am suggesting a more seamless registration system that will be continuous and terminate only a few weeks before the election, to allow for compilation and printing of cards. This registration should be synced with the National Identification Number (NIN).
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“It will automatically eliminate underage voters and the possibility of multiple registrations. More importantly, people should be able to do the registration online, on their own, just like most application processes we have today. They should only go to the INEC office for biometric data capture and card collection only.
‘The second factor in the electoral process is the delineation of voting constituencies and polling units. This should be population-based. There is also always chaos on election day as voters will be running helter-skelter, trying to find their polling units. There should be a system of notification or personal checks to avoid this confusion,” he said.
The former Osun governor also urged INEC to train political parties’ in what specific roles they will play in elections and to ensure smooth and seamless distribution of electoral materials.
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