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  • November 11 Polls: Groups calls on INEC, IGP to prosecute officials involved in election fraud

    November 11 Polls: Groups calls on INEC, IGP to prosecute officials involved in election fraud

    A group known as the Civil Society Organization CSO has called on the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) Mahmood Yakubu and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun,to investigate and  prosecute electoral officials involved in various forms of electoral fraud during the just-concluded off-cycle governorship election in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo State.

    Maduabuchi Idam, the Chief Legal Officer of the group,  made the call in a petition to Yakubu and Egbetokun.

    In the petition, Idam said the group would ensure that those involved in electoral fraud are investigated and prosecuted.

    According to Idam: “Following some electoral malpractices recorded in the governorship elections conducted on the 11th of November 2023, League for Social Justice, a civil society organisation has, through its Chief Legal Officer, Maduabuchi O. Idam, Esq., petitioned the office of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inspector General of Police, demanding among others, the investigation of the INEC officials who were caught with pre-thumb-printed ballot papers in Kogi State before accreditation of voters on the election day, and other electoral fraudsters in Imo and Bayelsa States.

    “While we as a civil society condemn in strong terms the acts perpetrated by the suspected INEC officers, as we term it a breach of public confidence and public trust, we vow to follow up and pursue the petition to ensure that the same is investigated and the suspects are prosecuted to a logical conclusion.

    “We believe that a corrupt-free Nigeria is achievable. Hence, we shall not be deterred in our resolve to fight corruption and corrupt public officers in Nigeria.”

  • No going back on enactment of Whistleblower Law, declares FG

    No going back on enactment of Whistleblower Law, declares FG

    … as CSOs set to hold policy roundtable on whistleblower protection law

    The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, says the government is not backing down on the enactment of whistleblower law.
    Fagbemi revealed that plans are underway to reintroduce the aborted whistleblower bill to the 10th National Assembly.
    The Nigeria’s Chief Law Officer pledged during a town hall meeting organized by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG) in collaboration with the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) at the weekend in Abuja.
    The development is also coming ahead of a Policy Roundtable on Whistleblower Protection Law slated for Tuesday, November 7, 2023, in Abuja.

    Represented by the Chief Legal Officer, Ministry of Justice, Adesoji Afolabi, the AGF emphasized that the whistleblower bill that did not see the light of the day during the 9th National Assembly will be reintroduced to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and then forwarded to the parliament.

    “In legislative process and procedures, once a bill couldn’t be passed in the last Assembly, that means it needs to be reintroduced, and I think the Federal Ministry of Finance is about doing that.

    “Government will put all efforts to ensure that the bill is reintroduced, and when it is done, I trust our Honourable Attorney General who will now take it up from there, because you can’t fight corruption based on policy because whistleblower policy does not have the force of law.

    “The government is interested in fighting corruption, and the law does not target any person,” Afolabi stressed.
    He noted that the immediate past assembly couldn’t pass whistleblower bills with them into law because of timing, adding that this time, “I’m optimistic whistleblower legislation is a reality.”

    The Minister also urged Nigerians to support the government’s efforts to fight corruption while hailing AFRICMIL, PRIMORG and other CSOs for lending their voices towards legislation for whistleblowing.
    The Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr. Chido Onumah, said whistleblower legislation would be a legacy for President Bola Tinubu’s administration if achieved, adding that Nigerians who are willing to expose corrupt acts are deterred by a lack of laws to protect whistleblowers.

    Speaking on the forthcoming Policy Roundtable on Whistleblower Protection Law, Onumah revealed that it is an advocacy put together by AFRICMIL in collaboration with PRIMORG and other civil society groups to “develop key ideas and strategies to put whistleblowing and the passage of a whistleblower protection law in Nigeria on the front burner of the national conversation.”
    “Among other things, participants will take stock of the situation of whistleblowing and whistleblowers in Nigeria, the current position of the draft whistleblower protection law, as well as challenges and opportunities in the quest to have a whistleblower protection law in Nigeria,” Onumah stated.
    Stakeholders expected at the policy roundtable are drawn from civil society organizations, media, the National Assembly, public interest lawyers, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.
    Meanwhile, other participants at the town hall meeting underscored the importance of strengthening the anti-corruption fight with whistleblower legislation while urging federal lawmakers to prioritize the passage of whistleblower protection law.
    According to Legal practitioner Godwin Chigbu, “Without a whistleblower protection law, the existing policy will not be adequately executed. President Tinubu needs whistleblower law to recover stolen funds belonging to Nigeria”.
    On his part, a journalist with TheCable, Gyep Shibayan, asked the National Assembly to give the enactment of a whistleblower protection law accelerated attention.
    The Radio Town Hall meeting series is aimed at increasing citizens’ active participation and involvement and encouraging the government to institutionalize the whistleblowing policy.
    The program runs with support from the MacArthur Foundation.

  • CSOs to embark on protest boycott of Akwa Ibom budget hearing in November

    CSOs to embark on protest boycott of Akwa Ibom budget hearing in November

    A coalition under the aegis of Guild of Community Development Advocates in Akwa Ibom State (AKGCODA) a.k.a Akwa Ibom State Civil Society Forum (AKSCSO FORUM) have vowed to embark on a protest boycott of the state’s budget hearing slated for November 16.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports this is contained in a statement issued and signed by the convener Harry Udoh
    Chairman, AKGCODA stating that:

    The coalition “has observed with great discontent the continued subtle disregard and exclusion of the needs and priorities of citizens in the budget implementation,and sometimes in planning and formulation processes, including the disregard of inputs made during budget hearings.

    “We believe that attaining sustainable human development requires policies and approaches that place people at the centre. It calls for a robust engagement of citizens and CSOs in shaping decisions that affect their lives and development.

    ” Recent years have witnessed phenomenal growth in the influence and collective power of civil society actors in building social, economic,and political agendas –locally, nationally,and globally.

    “As a body saddled with the responsibility to coordinate all non-governmental and civil society organisations while supporting governments’ development efforts; we have taken note of the fact that in the last seven years, despite an apparent increase in opportunities for CSO participation in the budget process, the quality and outcomes of such participation has amounted to merely ticking off development partner expectations and achieving publicity mileage by the executive and the legislature. In Specifics, over the years, we observed the following:

    “Every successive year, our inputs and contributions on what should and should not be in the budget are only received and then studiously ignored, no matter how germane the points we make. It would seem that civil society participation has become just to ‘fulfillall righteousness’.

    “While other participants are given ample time to speak during the Public Hearings, this is not always the case with CSOs. Despite the value we bring to the table, it would seem that the officials only listen impatiently to what we have to say and promptly discard our contributions afterwards. Our proposals are hardly ever given any consideration.

    “This ploy by the Government of the day to religiously “tick the box” of citizen participation has become a recurring decimal as citizen-recommended projects and needs captured in budgets get zero allocations and when they do eventually get allocations in subsequent years, they are characterised by the sheer lack of releases to implement such citizens input.

    “A year-by-year analysis of the Auditor General’s report and Citizens Accountability Report which can be provided has revealed that there is a disproportionate relationship between the citizen-recommended projects/needs, the projects/needs included in the budget,and projects/needs that got actual releases.

    “Poor capital releases to key service delivery sectors -Education, Health and WASH. Mid-year review of implementation of 2022 budget shows very low releases to those sectors -Education 2%; Health 1% and WASH 0%.

    “After careful consideration, we like to respectfully inform you that the Guild has decided NOT to participate in deliberations of this public hearing and further public hearings until a noticeable improvement and commitment is made to ensure that the inputs collated through all channels of inclusions, submitted and presented at public hearings get the budgetary attention they deserve.

    “Against the foregoing, the Guild of Community Development Advocates in Akwa IbomState demandthe following:

    “Public hearings that pragmatically accommodates the inputs of civil society,leading to the production of an Appropriation bill and Budget performance that is responsive to
    the needs and priorities of citizens as a democratic and constitutional right.

    “Immediate commitment to commence the process of ensuring inclusion, allocation,and prompt release of the funds for implementation of citizens nominated projects in the
    Appropriation bill with plans for budget releases when the bill is approved or reasons provided for releases not made..

    “Inputs made by citizens at all levels of public consultation should be properly documented and taken seriously going forward. And, if not, reasons should be
    communicated why our submissions are not considered.

    “Implementation of Citizens-generated projects included in the budgets and the publishing of same in the Citizen budget as directly linked to citizens’ needs as well as other effective measures to include the view of citizens and their organizations in the budget review process.

    “Sincere inclusion of CSOs in budget preparation and implementation demonstrated by verifiable criteria and data that explains how citizens-nominated projects that gets budget allocation and releases are selected and included as a feedback mechanism in
    the Citizens Accountability Report (CAR).

    “Ministries,Departments and Agencies(MDAs)mechanism for the selection of projects should be clearly spelt out, investigated, and leveraged for increasing the selection of citizens’projects.

    “As a body, AKGCODA will continually play an intermediary role in bringing people’s voices and opinions to bear on public policies. While we seek better working relations, the fact that strategic and substantive engagement with civil society is vital if the Government of the day is to remain a relevant and effective development player cannot be underplayed.

    “On the strength of this fact, AKGCODA will no longer register its attendance and participation in any process that discounts the credibility and realism of the budget as well as the principles of participation and sensitivity to the unique needs of the citizens as a matter of truth and deed, a constituency it represents.

  • WAR looms in aviation sector as CSOs kick against Buhari’s last minute appointment

    WAR looms in aviation sector as CSOs kick against Buhari’s last minute appointment

    War looms in aviation sector as the Civic Situation Room (CSR), a coalition of 100 pro-democracy groups has kicked against the last-minute appointments by former President Muhammadu Buhari in the aviation sector.

    This was contained in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Vincent Unazi, the group described the timing and rationale as horrendous and unwarranted, adding that it will protest until the appointments are reversed.

    Recall that Kabir Yusuf Mohammed was named as the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    Engineer Tayib Odunowo was also appointed the substantive Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

    Similarly, a total of 28 directors and general managers were appointed across the five aviation agencies.

    And Unazi said the appropriate action would have been to extend the tenures of the MDs, CEOs, and directors for 30 days while nominating new candidates for the incoming administration.

    He alleged that ‘if not that the former minister, Hadi Sirika had wrong intent, he would have constituted governing boards long ago and not the show of shame he hurriedly did before exiting the office.

    “For the entire duration of Sirika’s administration, he failed to appoint boards into the different agencies, thereby usurping their powers.

    “But less than two days to the end of the administration, the boards were hurriedly inaugurated, and that was after new directors were appointed.

    “There is nothing wrong in extending the tenures of the MD/CEOs for a further 30 days while the term of the existing directors would have been on a transitional basis.

  • 10th NASS: CSO alleges ‘Supreme Court’ Gov, Uzodinma is using Hon Miriam to work against Tinubu

    10th NASS: CSO alleges ‘Supreme Court’ Gov, Uzodinma is using Hon Miriam to work against Tinubu

    … insists Gov should halt activities of Miriam, G7

    The legislative unit of Civil Society Central Coordinating Council, has accused Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma of using House of Representatives member, Hon. Miriam Onuoha to work against President Bola Tinubu.

    The group speaking through its lawyer, Barr. Anderson Achilike urged the governor to prove that he’s a party man by putting an end to his activities with Hon. Onuoha.

    According to the group, despite the decision of the All Progressive Congress, APC national working committee to micro-zone the Deputy Speakership position to Abia lawmaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Uzodimma in his usual selfish nature instead of helping to unite the Igbos towards one just course, is causing division by aiding the ambition of Onuoha.

    The group said, “Supreme Court Governor, Uzodimma is part of the brain box behind the G-7 whom are disrespecting and causing disunity in the party. Instead of advising Onuoha to jettison her ambition and support her Igbo brother, he’s using her to do more harm than good. It’s not surprising as the Imo Rep member just like her Governor was unjustly installed despite her closest opponent, Obinna Onwubualiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defeating her in the election.

    “It’s still unclear what Uzodimma hopes to achieve by going against his party’s choice, but once we uncover it we will definitely not hesitate to let Nigerians know. We urge Uzodimma to put an end to his anti party activities, stop meddling in Nass politics and support APC’s consensus candidate, Hon. Benjamin Kalu as the next Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

  • Tenth Assembly: Allow free playing ground for contestants – CSOs tell Tinubu, APC

    Tenth Assembly: Allow free playing ground for contestants – CSOs tell Tinubu, APC

    A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs under the aegis of Center for Credible Leadership and Citizen Awareness (CCLCA) Friday advised to reason to wise counsel by ensuring that the imposition of candidates carried out by APC NWC is properly addressed.

    Briefing journalists in Abuja, the coalition led by the DG of Center for Credible Leadership and Citizen Awareness (CCLCA) Nigeria should shift from the bad ways of doing things by doing the right thing like in other civilised climes.

    Nwambu said that Section 50 (1a) and (1b) of the Constitution states clearly that members shall elect the senate president, the speaker and their deputies.

    According to him, this simply implies that any other person or persons or group of persons nominating the presiding officers of both chambers other than the members themselves is null, void and unconstitutional.

    He said that the announcement of anointed candidates for the leadership of the parliament by the APC has been hit by swift resistance from most members-elect of the 10 National Assembly.

    Nwambu said that it amounts to an aberration which is tantamount to usurping the powers of the legislators thereby exposing the fragile democracy of Nigeria to jeopardy.

    “We cannot be talking about a new Nigeria where things are done the right way and we are still seeing the imposition of candidates on our legislators.

    “If the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu wants to win the support and interest of Nigerians, then he should be seen to be doing things differently from the old ways to a new Nigeria.

    “As CSOs, we are not interested in who emerges as the speaker or deputy speaker or the senate president or the deputy senate president.

    “Our interest is that there is a provision in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it is a document that is superior to any other document including the house rules or the senate rules.

    “We are saying that since it is a constitutional provision, that the political party to which the president-elect belongs, should allow the constitution to be executed to the latter.

    “We are saying that an interference in the process of electing the speaker, deputy speaker, the senate president or the deputy senate president would amount to usurping the powers that was abinitio meant for the National Assembly.

    “An imposition of power will degenerate Nigeria to detactorial tendencies, it is going to lead to tyranny and oppression and bring to mockery the principles of separation of power,” he said.

    Also speaking, Mr Zeb Ijewa, member of the coalition said that as Deputy National Secretary of Alliance for Democracy, he worked with Tinubu who was the only surviving governor of the party then.

    He attested that Tinubu is a democrat to the core who fought military dictatorship for the return of democracy.

    “I know him as a democrat to the core, I know him as somebody who upholds the principle of democracy.

    “When they began to associate him with imposition of candidate, the brought some misunderstanding in my head.

    “That is not Tinubu except there are cronies around who trying to use his name to do one thing or the other.

    “I want the president-elect to keep the flag flying high, back in Alliance Democracy, he was the only credible opposition to the PDP government and we knew his stand.

    “I do not think at this time, he will begin to put his hands in dictatorial issues, picking candidates in the house or senate, no, the parliament should be allow to solve its problems,” he said

  • Cross River: BVAS performed optimally at 97% during Cross River guber elections-Coalition of CSOs

    Cross River: BVAS performed optimally at 97% during Cross River guber elections-Coalition of CSOs

    …says security operatives repelled hoodlums in some red spots

    …one adhoc staff shot

    A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs under the platform of Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness on Wednesday said BVAS performed optimally at 97percent during gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections held in Cross River State.

    Addressing journalists, coordinator of the coalition of INEC observer groups, Dr Gabriel Nwambu in a communique read on behalf the observers except for a few ref spots that showcased skirmishes, the election was relatively peaceful.

    He said: “The BVAS performed optimally at 97% accuracy. A significant improvement when compared to the 25th February, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections.

    “However, we observed 2 instances where the BVAS malfunctioned but supervising officers were quick to replace them as voting continued in good time.

    “We observed that during collation in Obanliku LGA, some desperate politicians attempted to induce collation officers to alter already collated results.

    “We observed that an ad-hoc staff, one Mrs Glory Effiom Essien who served in Bakassi LGA was shot by a suspected militant on the 19th of March, 2023.

    ” However, she is alive and responding to treatment.
    Hoodlums armed with guns and other dangerous material attacked Ogoja LGA INEC collation Centre with an intent of disrupting the collation. Some ad-hoc staff sustained injuries before the police brought the situation under control.

    ” Security operatives performed creditably well. The police which is the lead agency in charge of internal security and elections complied significantly with the rule of engagement and fundamental principles of election policing globally.

    “We also observed that the Governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Prince Bassey Otu was declared winner of the election having scored the highest number of lawful votes and was declared winner and returned elected.

    “Consequently, having analysed INECs logistics in the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, the performance of the BVAS, the IRev Viewing Portal, the uploading of the results from the Polling Unit level (that is the FORM EC8A Series), we can therefore say that this election in Cross River State was conducted consistent to the electoral guidelines.

    “We hereby state unequivocally that the Governorship and State Assembly Elections of 18th March 2023 IN Cross River State is transparent, free, fair and credible.

    “We thank the INEC for remaining unbiased in the conduct of this election. The Police and other law enforcement agencies are hereby commended for their quick response to resolving emergencies and adhering to the rule of engagement.

    “Finally, for the Governorship and State Assembly elections, we wish to encourage those who lost in the election to embrace the spirit of sportsmanship by congratulating the winners of the said election.

  • Stalemate over unearned salaries: CSOs move to mobiise against ASUU

    Stalemate over unearned salaries: CSOs move to mobiise against ASUU

    Academic Staff Union of Universities has come under fire of two civil society groups over its decision to keep students at home with its demand for the payment of six salaries when the teachers were out of class.

    The Nigerian Project Initiative (NPI) and the Initiative to Save Democracy (ISD) in a joint statement expressed outrage on the determination of the lecturers to keep the students at home over their demand for money that they didn’t work for.
    “The demand by ASUU to be paid for the months its members were on strike is hollow, self centred and vexatious,” Mohammed Umar Salihu, chairman of NPI and Akinloye James, ISD Chairman said in the joint statement.
    “It is particularly provoking that other unions in the academic community pursuing almost the same goals have decided to go back to work but ASUU members rather than follow suit are demanding payment for work that they did not do.
    “Which employer does that? If for example the government were to heed them, would that not be a recipe for disaster as NASU and SSANU which have agreed to go back to work would now resort to strike to demand the same salaries that they forfeited during the strike?”
    “It is a rule in industrial relations that unions keep a strike fund and ASUU through its president has admitted that they have been paying their union members. So, it is thus apparent that ASUU by its demand is now seeking double pay for its members for work not done.”
    “For the sake of our students who have missed out on account of the strike we expect ASUU to rush back to work at this time and look forward towards repairing the damage that has been done through the strike instead of this resort to financial blackmail,” the two groups said.
    Vowing to mobilise other civil society groups for a showdown against ASUU, the two unions said:
    “ASUU has lost it this time and we dare say that if by this week that ASUU sticks on to its selfish demands we would be compelled to lay siege to ASUU offices across the country given that all men of good conscience are against ASUU.”
    as the efforts of the groups concluded.

  • Building where mummified bodies were found in Edo not ritualist den – CSO

    Building where mummified bodies were found in Edo not ritualist den – CSO

    Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), a coalition of civil rights groups in Edo State has said the building where mummified bodies were found in the State is not a ritualist den.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Leftist Aliyu Unweni, Interim Public Relations Officer of EDOCSO on Friday disclosed this in a statement, stating that the State is not known for human rituals historically.

    Recall that the Police Command in Edo State on Thursday announced the discovery of a ritualist den in the State, a building located along Asoro slope off Ekenhua road, Uzebu quarters, Benin city, where 20 mummified bodies were found.

    According to the police, 15 mummified male corpses, 3 mummified female corpses and 2 mummified children corpses were discovered at the scene.

    However, the TEC Chairman of EDOSCO and the entire members of EDOSCO have stated that the content of the viral video and content painting the State as a ritualist den is false and misleading.

    Unweni accused the Edo State Police of rushing to the media hurridly to reveal that a ritualist den was discovered and busted in the state without doing proper findings. EDOSCO explained that the said the building was a newly built morgue and not a shrine as being painted by the Police.

    He stated that Edo state does not have a history of ritualism or its likes, stressing that the disclosure is highly misleading, and paints a bad picture of the State, described as peaceful, loving and most accommodating in the whole of Nigeria.

    Unweni further revealed that upon receiving the news of the busted shrine and ritualist den in the state, EDOSCO quickly dispatched a team of investigators and their findings have shown otherwise.

    Below are the findings of EDOSCO’s investigators

    1. The said building where the mummified corpses were found is not a ritualists’ den but a newly built morgue to house evacuated corpses from an old facility because the operator had been given a quit notice there.
    2. The operational name of the morgue is St. Gabriel Funeral Home with other offices at No. 24, Ist Federal Road, Benin City. It has branches in Anambra state, Ebonyi state, Murtala Mohammed way, and Ist East Circular road where the corpses were moved from.
    3. The shrine discovered was said to be a traditional form of worship by the proprietor as spiritual protection for himself and the business.
    4. The police didn’t investigate addressing the media thereby raising an alarm of a ritualists’ shrine.
    5. As at the time of putting this report together, the police had not visited other branches of the morgue in different parts of the city.
    6. The videos of corpses in circulation revealed that some of the corpses had name tags and medical equipment were visible as well in the building. Further interview with one of the morgue personnel in another of their branch office revealed that there is a register of all the corpses in the facility and that some of the owners have started to call to take away their deposited corpses.
    7. Our team of investigators were denied access to the morgue by members of the vigilance group that have been stationed there.

    “Flowing from the above, it is now convenient to state that, the insinuation by the police that it is a ritualists’ den is hereby debunked and dismissed as false alarm and an attempt to paint the good people of Edo in bad light. This is not to state that, the morgue might not be an illegal one or does not have the requisite permits to operate a morgue which should be subjected to thorough investigation by the police. A call placed to the proprietor phone was answered by a police officer who stated that he is with them.

    “This is a clarion call to members of the fourth estate of the realm who were expected to launch investigation into the issue by engaging the proprietor and the arrested workers to ascertain the true position before broadcasting and publication hook, line and sinker the position of the police. This falls below what is expected of investigative journalism and the doctrine of hearing the other side of a story. How the news hit the airspace would make one to believe it is a case of who plays the piper dictates the tone. The game needs to be stepped up.

    “This development had shown that Edo state government lacked own intelligence gathering mechanism to filter stories as it was seen sharing same misinformation from the police to the de-marketing of the state and her people to the outside world. Edo state government should have been seen mitigating against the spread of such negative story from the state, instead it was a major promoter of it. This is disappointing to say the least.

    “We want to reiterate again that Edo state is peaceful, loving and most accommodating in the whole of Nigeria. They are not known for human rituals historically. The state is open for visitation and business opportunities. Citizens can move anytime of the day without fear of the unknown.

    ALSO READ || Ritualist den with 20 mummified bodies discovered in Edo State

    “We await the final outcome of police investigation on subject matter and we believe it will be bold enough to put the record straight by stating the true position of the issues. Going forward, the police authority should always carry out investigation before engaging the media. Crimes are not fought with media propaganda,” the statement by EDOCSO reads.

  • INEC urged to further extend deadline for CVR

    INEC urged to further extend deadline for CVR

    A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for Good Governance has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to further extend the July 31 deadline for the suspension of ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

    The coalition made the appeal in a letter signed by its Convener, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, addressed to INEC Chairman and submitted at the commission’s headquarters on Friday in Abuja.

    According to the letter, the CSOs urged INEC to magnanimously consider extending the deadline for the exercise in favour of the 2023 general elections.

    The CSOs said that its appeal was anchored on information reaching it from several parts of the country, across the six geo-political zones.

    It stated that large segments of the population have not been able to register after queuing up at various registration centres without any hope of being registered.

    “If this deadline is not extended, millions of Nigerians will be disenfranchised and since this problem may enhance the narrative of marginalisation, which cannot augur well for democracy in Nigeria.

    “During the anticipated extension of the deadline for voter registration, INEC will have the opportunity of addressing the lapses which have been experienced.

    “By law, INEC enjoys the liberty of official closure of 90 days to the elections, so extending it by at least one month will enable good citizens of Nigeria to register,” the letter stated.

    Ndubuaku, who led members of the society in a protest to submit the letter, urged INEC to consider the plead of Nigerians.

    “Somebody might say even if you extend it forever some people might not still register. But so long that we still have crowd at the centres it means that we still have people who are waiting.

    “Some people are afraid that they may not be able to register in the remaining two days.

    “We know the tenacity of INEC that you can extend it a little bit, which will still be within the law.

    “We know you have extended it several times. You have tried, but all over the country there are still long queues,” Ndubuaku said.

    He said while the coalition could not force INEC to extend it as well as know its constraints, they believe that INEC could still consider the request, “even if it is to ask for more fund which is justifiable”.

    Ndubuaku said that if the request could be granted, the coalition made up of about 25 CSOs, would mobilise support of NIgerians for INEC on the exercise.

    Receiving the letter, the Assistant Director, Security Unit, INEC, Mrs Endurance Babaginda, said that the letter would be forwarded to the INEC chairman.

    The commission has fixed July 31 as the deadline to allow it perform the legal requirements it has to undertake before the general elections.

    These includes Clean-up of voter register, display details of the newly registrants at each of the 8,809 Registration Areas (Wards) across the 774 Local Government Areas and printing of millions of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    The deadline was earlier fixed for June 30.

    The exercise was also extended to eight hours daily from 9 a.m – 5 p.m instead of the previous duration of six hours (9 a.m – 3 p.m) daily; including weekends.

    Registrations from 2011 don’t need revalidation – INEC

    Meanwhile, the INEC in Lagos State said PVCs issued by the commission since 2011 till date do not expire and there is no need for any revalidation.

    INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, made this clarification in a statement on Saturday to reduce crowd at various Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the state.

    There has been huge surge in most voter enrollment centres in the state ahead of July 31 CVR deadline.

    There have been speculation on social media that old PVCs needed some revalidation, hence the reason why many people besiege CVR centres daily, while some engage in double and multiple registrations.

    Agbaje also appealed to those who are not registering for the first time or do not have any issue with PVC or fingerprint during accreditation in any past election not to visit the designated voter enrollment centres.

    Agbaje said: “The commission wishes to reiterate that Permanent Voter Cards issued by the independent National Electoral Commission since 2011 till date do not expire and no need for any revalidation.

    “The PVC will work very well with the commission’s new technology code, named Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS), as witnessed in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections recently conducted by the commission.

    “The commission once again appeals to those who are not registering for the first time or do not have any issue with PVC or fingerprint during accreditation in any past election not to visit the designated Physical CVR Centres but address transfer and PVC incidences like damage, deface or loss on the commission’s online portal to reduce the crowd.”

    He said that the CVR, which commenced on June 28, 2021, would end on July 31.

    According to him, all eligible citizens that are yet to register should visit any of the CVR Centres at the INEC headquarters office in Sabo-Yaba.

    Agbaje noted that they could also go to  INEC offices in the 20  local government arears or scheduled wards to do so.

    “The commission is ready to capture all eligible citizens before the end of the exercise,” he added.

    Agbaje said that those that were eligible to register at the CVR centres included Nigerians who had clocked 18 years and above and had not registered before.

    The INEC boss added that registered voters who had had any problem during accreditation for any past election with either PVC or their fingerprints not being read by the Smart Card Reader.

    He said that registered voters who wanted to transfer their voting location from one place to another, correct issues with their data or those whose PVCs were damaged, defaced or lost did not need to visit the CVR Centres but visit the commission’s online CVR platforms; https://cvr.inecnigeria org or https://cvr.inec.gov.ng to address the issue as the case may be.