The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that 45% of recently completed voter registrations nationwide are invalid.
INEC Boss, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Wednesday at a press conference in Abuja.
He noted that the invalid registrations will not be included in the nation’s Register of Voters.
Yakubu disclosed that the invalid registrations were either done by registrants who out of ignorance did not know that having registered before, they did not need to re-register or those who believed INEC systems will not detect the infraction.
He said the development is worrisome because of the time and resources expended, as well as indications that some INEC staff may have been involved in facilitating the infractions.
Yakubu maintained that any staff found culpable will be prosecuted even as he called on political parties, media and civil society originations to assist the commission in educating Nigerians about the problem of invalid registration.
He announced that the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards to new registrants will commence after Easter and also warned political parties on strict adherence to the timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election, including the conduct of party primaries.
The INEC chairman later unveiled the 1.8million PVCs ready for distribution and appealed to all Nigerians who registered between June and December 2021 to collect their PVCs in person.
The total number of completed Registration stands at 2.5 million out of which 1.1million are invalid.
Bayelsa tops the states with the highest number of invalid registrations with 67.1% while Lagos has the lowest at 28.4%.
