Breaking: INEC Speaks On Underage Persons Voting In 2023 General Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said underage persons will not be allowed to vote in the 2023 general elections.

CityNews reports that INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, made this known during an appearance on Channels Television on Monday night.

Okoye was reacting to the backlash that greeted the release of snapshots of sections of the voters’ register showing pictures of persons who are said to be underage.

CityNews Nigeria recalls that the Commission had published the preliminary register of voters for the 2023 elections, which was displayed across polling units in the country, and on the commission’s website.

Following the development, some Nigerians took to social media to criticise the Commission for having underage voters on its register.

Reacting to the development, Okoye said the essence of the preliminary voters’ register is for Nigerians to make claims, raise objections, and identify biodata errors.

The INEC Commissioner also asked Nigerians to help the electoral agency to identify underage persons on the preliminary register of voters for the 2023 elections.

He said: “The essence of putting out this is for Nigerians to help the commission further clean up the voters’ register.

“We want people to look at the register and assist the commission to check whether their names have been properly spelled; whether their personal particulars have been properly captured; whether some pictures are not upside down; whether there are still names of deceased persons on the register; whether there are obviously underage persons on the register so that we can correct them.”

Asked if Nigerians can trust the INEC list of voters, Okoye asserted that the commission cannot claim that the register is free of “errors or challenges”.

He added: “We cannot claim, in all honesty, that the register does not have errors. If the lawmakers believe that the register should not have errors or challenges, they won’t have provided in section 19, subsection 1-3 that such a register should be displayed for people to make claims, objections or lay complaints.

“We agree that the register is not perfect; because it is not perfect, that is why we have this display for claims and objections.

“We use our automated biometrics identification system to remove multiple and double registrations and then we did what we called manual adjudication to remove obviously underage persons.

“Apparently, there are still obviously underage persons on the voters’ register and we expect Nigerians to take a look at the voters’ register, both the ones we displayed at the various registration centres and LGAs and also on the website, and assist the commission to point out these things so that the commission can further clean up the register.”