The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to decide the next line of action to take against those that engaged in multiple registrations during the just concluded Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
The Commission, which reaffirmed that multiple registrations constitute an electoral offence, said it carried out sufficient awareness campaigns to educate Nigerians against registering more than once.
The Board Chairman, The Electoral Institute (TEI), Prof Abdullahi Zuru, stated these in a chat with journalists at the Post Election Training Audit (PETA) for Ekiti and Osun governorship elections in Abuja.
According to him, the Commission has also not discussed the issue of a possible extension of the Voter Registration exercise after the July 31 deadline.
He said: “That is a decision that the Commission will take after the exercise and we look at the picture across the country.
“There are many reasons for double or multiple registrations, by the time we hear from the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), a decision will be taken and when that is done, the entire country and the whole world will know the step we are taking.
“We are fully aware that multiple registrations is an electoral offence, everywhere we went during the mobilization for people to come out for the registration, we drew their attention to that”.
Appreciating the Commission for the success of the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, Zuru, commended the poll workers for their diligence and commitment.
According to him: “The electorates’ perception of the fairness, freeness, credibility and inclusivity of an election is largely determined by the performance of the poll workers. That is the Ad hoc staff in our nomenclature.
“Poll workers play a critical role in elections as they serve as a bridge between voters who cast their votes, the Election Management Body and Indeed the officials to be elected for a country. A positive disposition of poll workers encourages voter turnout, while a negative disposition evokes apathy. Thus, competent and confident poll workers influence voters’ confidence in the credibility and fairness of an election”.
He added: “In Ekiti and later in Osun States, the voters, observers, media and indeed the general public applauded the elections and commended the Commission. This is a heartwarming endorsement of the processes and officiating of the Commission, the professionalism of security agencies and the cooperation of voters that paved way for the free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.
“Consequently, this training audit is expected to deliver objective insights into the conduct of electoral training in the affected states and to provide the Institute with an overview of the effectiveness and efficiency of its training activities in preparation for the 2023 General elections”.
The Nation/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko
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