Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The immediate past Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to link voters’ registers with the National Identification Number (NIN) database in order to maintain the integrity and transparency of the country’s elections.
He went on to explain that by doing so, the era of underage voting and numerous registrations would come to an end.
Aregbesola, made the remarks while presenting the lead paper, “Towards Free, Fair, and Credible Elections,” at the 7th International Conference of the Professional Statisticians Society of Nigeria (PSSN) at Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
“I am suggesting a more seamless registration system that will be continuous and terminate only a few weeks before the election, to allow for compilation and printing of cards. This registration should be synced with the 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 the INEC office for biometric data capture and card collection only,” the former governor said.
According to him, 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,” he added.
The former governor of Osun also advised INEC to train political parties on the precise roles they wou play in elections, as well as to ensure smooth and seamless distribution of electoral materials.
