November 10, (THEWILL) – Bayelsa State recorded 88,950 invalid voter registrations out of a total number of 132,628 voter registrations, representing 67.1% according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Bayelsa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Emmanuel Alex Hart, made the disclosure in a keynote address on Thursday, in Yenagoa, at a meeting with political parties on INEC’s preparedness for the 2023 general elections.
Hart stated that of the 132,628 voter registrations, only 43,678 or 32.9% were valid, saying the number of invalid voter registrations is the highest ever recorded in Nigeria.
He explained that it was discovered when the Automated Biometric Identification System was used to clean up from June 28, 2021, to January 14, 2022.
The reasons for the development, he said, included “double/multiple registrations, underage registration and outright fake registrations.”
Hart said the hard copies of the voter register would be displayed in the 105 registration areas and eight local government areas from Saturday, November 12 to Friday, November 18 this year.
“The voter register will also be published on INEC’s website for claims and objections as required by law”, Hart said, but could be displayed on higher grounds due to the flood.
He said that out of the 15 activities planned for the 2023 general elections, nine activities have already been completed.
INEC affirmed that election results would be transmitted electronically, but did not rule out the manual transmission of the results.
He also disclosed that electoral umpire would adhere strictly to all the electoral reforms and urge political parties to obey the rules that would midwife free and fair elections, as there would no longer be ballot snatching, vote buying and other electoral malpractices in the time past.
He urged political parties to submit the names of their polling agents to the electoral officers through INEC’s dedicated portal saying the last date for the presidential and National Assembly elections is December 30 while the last date for House of Assembly is January 6, 2023.
Earlier, the Administrative Secretary, Okop Unobong, said the meeting was important as it was only two months to the general elections and the mandate to conduct free, fair and credible elections rested on INEC and the political parties.
THEWILL reported that the two major political parties: Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress, and other registered political parties were fully represented and their members made valid contributions towards free and fair elections.
