In order to maintain the credibility and transparency of the nation’s elections, Rauf Aregbesola, a former interior minister, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to link voters’ lists with the National Identification Number (NIN) database.
He continued by explaining that by doing this, the era of illegal registrations and underage voting will stop.
Aregbesola made the comments on Tuesday while delivering the lead paper, “Towards Free, Fair, and Credible Elections,” at the Professional Statisticians Society of Nigeria’s (7th) International Conference at Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
“To enable for card compilation and printing, I propose a more seamless registration process that will be ongoing and end just a few weeks before the election. The National Identification Number (NIN) should be synchronized with this registration.
“It will automatically disqualify minors from voting and prevent duplicate registrations. More significantly, just like the majority of application processes we have today, people should be able to register themselves online. They should only visit the INEC office to acquire cards and collect biometric data.
The division of voting districts and polling places is the second element of the electoral process. This should be based on the population. Additionally, there is often confusion on election day as people scramble to find their polling places. To prevent this confusion, a notice system or personal checks should be in place, he said.
The former governor of Osun also gave INEC advice on how to secure the flawless distribution of election materials and instruct political parties on the precise responsibilities they will play during polls.
