NHRC Panel Lists Measures To Improve 2023 Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has been asked to think about sending Short Message Service(SMS) to the phones of registered voters so as to guide them during the 2023 general elections.

This is after the official display of the register of voters on the INEC website, which showed the State, Local Government Area, Registration, Area and Polling Unit of electorates, allowing for either objection or claims.

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Based on INEC records, about 95 million voters have been captured.

The call was made by Jide Ojo, Executive Director, OJA Development Consult, during a penal discussion on ‘Promoting and Protecting Citizen’s Access and Participation In Electoral Processes”, organized by the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja on Thursday.

The panel discussions were part of the NHRC’s dialogue on the “Strategic Forum on Integrating Human Rights into the 2023 Electoral Process” and it was attended by a number of political party members, lawyers, and CSOs.

Ojo said that with the creation of additional polling units in Nigeria ( from about 120,000 to over 170,000), coupled with less voter education and awareness campaigns by the INEC and relevant stakeholders, a lot of voters may not know where they will be voting on election day.

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He explained that the inability to understand where one should vote is part of the reasons why Nigerians lose interest in voting.

“INEC should send SMS to electorates, showing their polling units,” Ojo suggested, adding that the current Electoral Act 2022 should be further reviewed in such a way that the country doesn’t have to shut down movement or activities during electioneering.

Another panel discussant, Mma Odi, Executive Director, of Alliance for Credible Elections, said with the current economic crisis, many Nigerians may not be able to go and collect their Personal Voters Card, PVCs, due to lack of funds.

She called on INEC and relevant stakeholders to devise means of taking the PVCs to locations closest to voters’ residential areas.

Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser to the NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu SAN, Hillary Ogbonna lamented that for now, the Commission has not seen political parties, particularly their candidates and aides dwelling on issues affecting the country and how to address them.

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“And we know that Nigerians have so many issues,” he said, adding “ we are a little bit disappointed” in the way the campaign is going.

Welcoming the audience, Ojukwu said the Commission was concerned over voter participation in Nigerian elections which seems to have translated into a very serious case of voter apathy.

“It might interest us to know that since the general elections in 2011, the percentage of eligible voters participating in elections has been on the decline. The 35% voter turnout in the 2019 presidential elections was a wake-call for the Commission and other stakeholders. The downward trend has continued in subsequent off-cycle elections in Ekiti and Anambra States,” he said.

He added that beyond citizens, credible elections involve the election management body, INEC, political parties, law enforcement, security agencies, media, and civil society organizations.

Ojukwu observed, however, that the 2023 polls will be unique because of the deployment of new technologies (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) during the voting process.

He promised that as part of its Election 2023 Project, the commission will keep promoting voter participation and access in the electoral process through citizens’ education for PVC collection and voting.

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