INEC And The Burden Of Continuous Voters Registration Chibuzo Ukaibe Comment The ripples raised about the various phases of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will continue to reverberate ahead of the 2015 elections. Chibuzo UKAIBE, in this report, looks at the issues The first and second phases of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across 24 states have come and gone, leaving in its wake a foreshadow of disconnect and disenfranchisement ahead of the 2015 general elections. From political parties to the civil society community, the exercise is faulted for not matching the huge expectations created by INEC going into next round of general elections in 2015. Amidst the calls for the extension of the exercise, concerns range from what some describe as late scheduling of the exercise, poor enlightenment and logistics problems vis-a-vis malfunctioning direct data capture machines and the late arrival of INEC staff and materials to designated points. For phase one, the CVR exercise was conducted in 10 states, including Taraba, Gombe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, between May 28 and June 1 at designated CVR centres in each registration area (Ward) of every local government area. For phase two which comprised 12 states, the CVR took place from August 20 to August 25 at designated centres in each registration area (Ward) of every local government area in Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Sokoto, FCT, Kwara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Oyo, Delta and Cross River states. A third phase is, however, expected to be announced soon. The CVR precedes the issuance of a Permanent Voters Card (PVC) which will be used to vote in the 2015 general elections. But expressing reservations on the outcome of the exercise, the chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council, (IPAC), Dr Tanko Yunusa, who heads the conglomerate of political parties believes that some if the hitches could have been well addressed if the exercise started earlier. Dr Yunusa who is also the chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP) stated their interractions as political parties with the electoral commission and the need to start the process early was discussed because of the challenging nature of the exercise. He said, “There have been complaints by potential voters that they could not get registered, but INEC has brazened up and quickly arrested the situation”. The executive director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafasanji, however, was not so charitable with INEC. Rafasajani, outrightly, described the exercise as, “Very disappointing”. “From the expressions by Nigerians and from those I interacted with, a lot of Nigerians are not satisfied with what INEC has done”, he said. Perhaps, in a bid to situate the enormity of the context, he noted, “The thinking now is, if that is what they will use in 2015, it will not be good at all. It is important that the electoral body listens. Already, we have a situation where many displaced persons will be disenfranchised because of the insurgency problem and other problems. And so millions will likely not vote”. The reaction of Rafasanji, underscored the call for extension that trailed the exercise, particularly after the second phase. Even while the exercise lasted, media reports showed clusters of eligible voters at the designated registration points complaining about the short time for the exercise. But INEC has, since, ruled out the possibility of a blanket extension of the exercise but, however, offered to give fair chance to legitimate “registrants” on a date to be announced shortly, stressing that it would set up registration points at local government area (LGA) offices where people yet to do so can go and register. While the centres at the LGAs are yet to be set up, almost a week after, chief press secretary to INEC chairman, Kayode Idowu explained that the tendency whereby politicians urge people to come out and do multiple registrations largely accounted for the crowd clusters at registration points. He noted that a lot of people who have relocated since the last registration exercise only needed to apply for their registration status to be transferred to their new locations. He said they also turned up for fresh registration. “When data are consolidated and re-duplication is carried out by INEC, all instances of multiple registrations will yet be eliminated. But, unfortunately, these sets of people obstructed legitimate registrants from having their turns at the registration points.” The commission appealed to anyone, who had previously registered and already had their records in the biometric register of voters, to avoid re-presenting themselves at any other place for registration. It added that if a previously registered person relocated from where they registered, they should simply apply for transfer of their registration data to the new location, as provided for by the electoral law. However, on the specifics of INEC’s lapses during the exercise, Idowu admitted that two of the major complaints raised bothered on malfunctioning direct data capture machines and late arrival of their staff to the designated points. “Yes, INEC feels bad about that, but these things can be explained. We have always explained that it is only important for everybody in Nigeria to understand why we need to work together”. He said there were no pretenses that the machines were old but said: “ We knew what the country expended in buying those machines then. So, it just does not make any sense for INEC to make requests for or even for the country to fund new machines now”. The machines were purchased in 2011 preparatory to that election and they have since been kept in the storage facility of the electoral commission. He rationalized the refusal to get new machines on the basis of cost implications going into the 2015 as the commission intends to purchase card readers for the first time. Idowu noted that field technicians were always on ground to work on the machines and change replace the ones broken down, if need be. It is was, however, not independently ascertained how many of these machines are operating at optimal level. As for the late arrival of materials which is a perennial challenge faced at the commission, he explained that unlike the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections where the super Registration Area Centers (RACs) were used, such facility was not used for the CVR, mainly because of cost implications. The idea of the super RACs are camps away from the local governments but close to the polling units where men and materials can be deployed early and get to polling units before 8am when elections usually start. This initiative, introduced under Prof Attahiru Jega, has seen the early commencement of voting since its first use in the Anambra State governorship election last year. “We did not use those structures for this one because of the cost implication and since this is not as time sensitive as elections, we don’t use those structures for the CVR”. In spite of the criticisms, the import of conducting the CVR exercise is never lost considering the significance of a credible voters register going into the 2015 election. After the 2011 elections and faced by the desire to sanitize a hitherto voters register, INEC, started the process of weeding out multiple registration. From 73.58 million voters in 2011, the commission has so far pruned it through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) to 70. 383 million as declared by the commission two weeks ago. At a forum with media practitioners recently, the INEC chairman declared that one million cases of multiple registration by voters across the country has been uncovered in their data base. This process essentially provides opportunity for those who did not register in 2011 or those who just turned 18 years of age to get registered. It also affords eligible voters with incomplete details to get their data captured by the commission. Still, it is critical that every eligible voter is enabled to express his franchise as a set back to the review of the voters’ register would be devastating. As such, looking ahead, expectations for the third and final phase of the exercise are rife. States in this category are: Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Edo and Rivers. Dr Yunusa therefore called for speedy action to correct mistakes made in the last two phases and the extension. “As far as we are concerned, speedy action is needed if the process has to be better. Just like the PVCs, there is need for extension of the process so that people can be registered. “We don’t want to see a repetition of the mistakes in the phase 1 and 2 exercises. They seriously need to ensure that there is no repetition of the challenges from the past”. However, while Rafasanaji corroborates the funding problem of INEC by the government, he argues why a system has not been instituted whereby 17 year olds would be seamlessly integrated into the system. His argument aligns with growing agitations in recent times for that in order to contain such complications arising from stipulated periods for voters registration. Provision should therefore be made for eligible voters to register at designated centres at any time of the year that they become qualified to do so. He, however, charged political parties to get more involved in voters education and sensitization rather than being engrossed in competition now and then. He further advocated for the people to have confidence that their names will always be in the register. “INEC must be up and doing”, he said. For the electoral body, it does appear that the mistakes have been taken. Idowu noted that the electoral commission was already taking the lessons from what they did in the previous phase that just ended. “We can be more strict in the procedures at polling unit levels; we can be more strict and firm such that there would be order and no mix ups; we can also get to all the registration points and transport those things faster and better, we will do better than the previous phases”, he said. He, like Rafsanjani, solicited the help of the political parties. He says: “One critical element that is desired is for the mobilization of their supporters to come out and pick their cards”. But beyond these, he expresses an appeal for more understanding from the public. according to him, “Look, let’s make the best of what is available and possible. We will do better and we always strive to do better.” Just how much the public is ready to be patient with the electoral body is yet another matter.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 08:28:30 +0000
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