The immediate past Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has advised the federal government to link the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC voters register with the National Identification Number, NIN database.
Aregbesola said this would help tackle credibility and transparency issues in the nation’s electoral processes. He said the singular act could end the problem of underage voting and multiple registrations among prospective voters in the electoral process. He divulged this while presenting a 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, Nasarawa State on Tuesday.
Observing that the transparency of the electoral process is vital to the sustainability of a nation, the former Osun State Governor believes that appropriate statistics are vital to the entrenchment of accountability, the first step to achieving development.
The former minister said: “I am suggesting a more seamless registration system that will be continuous and terminates 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). “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 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.
“Thirdly, it appears, for the most part, that agents of the political parties don’t know what to do on election day and at the polling units. INEC should endeavor to train them on what specific roles they will play in the election.
“Fourthly, the logistics should be smooth and seamless. In many instances, voting officials will arrive late or without the materials, or the machines may just start malfunctioning. Elections should start and end on schedule. Many voters are eventually disenfranchised due to late commencement of voting.”
Aregbesola also canvassed for the liberalization of Nigeria’s Electoral Laws, such that parties without a presence in all states of the federation can present candidates and have their voice in the democratic process.
