INEC deletes 300,000 names from voters’ register

Displays document at polling booths today

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday disclosed that it had deleted over 300,000 names from the voter register.

Receiving a delegation of election administrators from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said, "as at today, over 300,000 names have been dropped after the automatic fingerprints iden- tification system."

He charged Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the register that is being displayed at polling booths from today through 12th this month.

"And I will like to use this opportunity to appeal to the citizens to check when we display the register so that they can draw the attention of the commission to any issues contained therein," Yakubu pleaded. On the forthcoming polls, of the chief electoral umpire stated: "We will conduct elections into 1,558 constituencies in 2019. There is one presidential, 109 senatorial districts and 360 federal constituencies, 29 governorship, 991 state constituencies and 68 constituencies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the area councils, the chairmen and councilors making a total of 1558 constituencies."

Leader of delegation, Muhammed Ali Konte, said their mission was to ascertain INEC’S preparedness and overall preparations for the exercises.

He noted: "It is a fact-finding delegation to gather information on the preparation for the elections.

We will also meet with key stakeholders like security agencies, civil society groups, political parties and the media."

Also yesterday, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, charged Nigerian to go check their names at their polling booths from today.

He submitted that the essence of the four-day display of the register as stipulated by the Electoral Act was to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised. The PDP chair said the double-checking of details was a mechanism to check the manipulation of the entire system.

"By cross-checking and double-checking, the voters wittingly would have begun the battle to frustrate rigging of the election," he added.