Osun Electoral Commission Responds to ADC's Accusation Regarding Voter Registration Count
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has come under scrutiny from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over the statistical plausibility of figures released in the commission's first-week report on the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR). However, INEC has pushed back against these claims.
In a statement issued by Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, the commission stands firm on the authenticity of the data. According to Oyekanmi, who held the role as of April 29, 2022, over 1.3 million Nigerians completed their online voter pre-registration within one week, with Osun state recording a significant lead. The southwestern state maintained the lead in registrations through subsequent weeks, with over 708,000 registrations by April 2022.
The ADC, however, expressed concerns that the figures from Osun state defy both historical patterns and demographic realities. In response, Oyekanmi stated that a review of publicly available records from the initial online pre-registration exercise would have shown the ADC that Osun's early lead is not unusual. He also mentioned that the pattern in Osun State during the first online pre-registration in June 2021 is similar to the pattern observed throughout the last CVR exercise.
INEC's duty is to ensure that only real persons who meet the criteria stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act 2022 are allowed to register. To that end, the commission uses its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to detect and isolate double registrants during the CVR exercise.
The commission also continues to provide information on the progress of the current online and in-person CVR, and encourages the public to rely on authentic and verifiable data. The commission will continue to make information available to the public on the progress of the current CVR exercise, and will not develop conjectures on why any state has more registrants than others on the CVR portal.
INEC appeals to all well-meaning citizens to be circumspect in going public with information based on sheer conjecture when they can rely on authentic and verifiable data available from their official repositories for both ongoing and historical record of their activities. The commission remains committed to its duty of ensuring a free and fair electoral process in Nigeria.
