Former interior minister Rauf Aregbesola has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to integrate voters’ registers with the National Identification Number (NIN) database to maintain the country’s elections’ integrity and transparency.
Aregbesola made the remarks on Tuesday at the 7th International Conference of the Professional Statisticians Society of Nigeria (PSSN) at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, while speaking on “Towards Free, Fair, and Credible Elections.”
“I am suggesting a more seamless registration system that will be continuous and terminate only a few weeks before the election, to allow for the compilation and printing of cards. This registration should be synced with the National Identification Number (NIN),” Aregbesola said.
The former governor of Osun also noted that integrating voter registers with the NIN would end the era of underage voting and multiple registrations and that people should be able to register online and only visit the INEC office for biometric data capture and card collection.
According to him, the second factor in the electoral process is the redesigning of voting constituencies and polling units, which should be population-based.
He explained that there is always chaos on election day as voters will be running helter-skelter, trying to find their polling units. To avoid this confusion, he suggested that a notification system or personal checks be implemented.
Aregbesola, however, urged INEC to train political parties on the precise roles they will play in elections to ensure the smooth and seamless distribution of electoral materials.
