How INEC Tainted & Sectionalized National Register Of Voters [2]

On 10^th September 2014, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega addressed a world press conference in Abuja, Nigeria to defend his Commission’s controversial creation of additional 30, 027 polling units (PUs) for the country’s electoral landscape. Controversies that trailed the botched exercise were similar to those trailing the Commission’s handling of PVCs distribution across the country particularly as they concern lopsidedness and ethno-religious influences. Prof Attahiru Jega and his INEC had in the botched exercise magisterially and lopsidedly allocated over 21,000 to the North, leaving only 8,000 plus for the South leading to fierce protests by Nigerians of good will and conscience, which resulted to its official cancellation by the Commission. Among leading rights groups that opposed it was the leadership of Intersociety.

Further, on 26^th September 2014, the Secretariat of our organisation got four parcels from the Chairman of INEC via DHL Courier Services. The parcel contained a 19-page text of the referenced INEC Chairman’s press conference titled; “Why, And How INEC Is Creating New Polling Units”, dated 10^th September 2014. In the second paragraph of page seven of the text titled: “Why Did INEC Adopt the Post-AFIS register of voters and not the Post- Business Rule register of voters as the baseline for calculating the number of PUs?” , INEC said as follows: “ At the end of the general registration of voters in 2011, the Commission announced that the data of 73.5million eligible voters had been captured-warts and all; that is, including the records of multiple (Emphasis: not “ghost”) registrants. At the conclusion of data de-duplication with the Automated Fingerprint Identification Software (AFIS), by which cases of multiple registrations were eliminated, the figure came down to 70,383,427 registered voters. These are genuine, non-multiple and identifiable registrants”.

The foregoing has grossly contradicted and rubbished recent reasons or excuses given to Nigerians and international watchers by INEC to the effect that the November/December 2014 deletion of 3,796,767 registered voters from the National Register of Voters was a Post-AFIS exercise done in 2011. Contrary to this as incontrovertibly revealed by the foregoing, the exercise took place within last two months of November and December 2014; for reasons not clearly stated by the Commission till date.

Statistical Revelations & Findings: The figures as represented below in each State and the FCT as well as the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria statistically show the total number of Post-AFIS registered voters for 2014 (70,383,427) and the number of RVs released by INEC in early January 2015 to vote in the 2015 General Polls (68,833,476). The figures include the number of registered voters deleted un-announced by INEC in November/December 2014 in the affected States and geopolitical zones as well as the number of newly registered voters captured and added by the Commission in the National Register of Voters in the affected States and geopolitical zones.

A. Northwest Geopolitical Zone

Block Post-AFIS RVs for 2014=70, 383, 427 (RVs for 2015 Polls=68, 833, 476)

States Post-AFIS Registered Voters (RVs) Of 2014 2015 RVs Deleted Added

1. Kano 4, 751, 818 4, 975, 701 – 233, 883
2. Kaduna 3, 743, 815 3, 407, 222 536, 543 –
3. Katsina 2, 928, 046 2, 827, 943 100, 103 –
4. Jigawa 1, 817, 087 1, 831, 276 – 14, 181
5. Sokoto 2, 113, 698 1, 611, 929 501, 769 –
6. Kebbi 1, 459, 736 1, 470, 648 – 10,905
7. Zamfara 1, 802, 301 1, 495, 717 306, 584 –

(Source: INEC September 2014) (Source: INEC January 2015)

Northwest:

Total RVs for 2014=18, 618, 499

Total RVs for 2015 Polls=17, 620, 472

Total Deleted=1, 444, 999

Total Added= 248, 969

B. Northeast Geopolitical Zone

States Post-AFIS Registered Voters (RVs) Of 2014 2015 RVs Deleted Added

8. Borno 2, 570, 349 1, 934, 079 636, 270 –
9. Bauchi 2, 502, 609 2, 054, 125 448, 484 –
10. Adamawa 1, 682, 907 1, 559, 012 123, 895 –
11. Taraba 1, 279, 394 1, 340, 652 – 61,268
12. Yobe 1, 203, 324 1, 099, 970 103, 354 –
13. Gombe 1, 208, 927 1, 120, 023 88, 904 –

(Source: INEC September 2014) (Source: INEC January 2015)

Northeast:

Total RVs for 2014=10, 572, 968

Total RVs for 2015 Polls=9, 767, 968

Total Deleted=868, 139

Total Added= 62, 362

C. North-central Geopolitical Zone

States Post-AFIS Registered Voters (RVs) Of 2014 2015 RVs Deleted Added

14. Benue 2, 340, 718 2, 015, 452 352, 266 –
15. Niger 2, 427, 081 2, 014, 317 412, 764 –
16. Plateau 2, 082, 725 2, 001, 825 80, 900
17. Kogi 1, 305, 533 1, 350, 533 – 45, 300
18. Nasarawa 1, 291, 876 1, 242, 667 49, 209 –
19. Kwara 1, 125, 035 1, 142, 267 – 17, 232

(Source: INEC September 2014) (Source: INEC January 2015)

North-central:

Total RVs for 2014=10, 572, 968

Total RVs for 2015 Polls =9, 767, 362

Total Deleted =868, 139

Total Added=62, 532

D. Southwest Geopolitical Zone

States Post-AFIS Registered Voters (RVs) Of 2014 2015 RVs Deleted Added

20. Lagos 5, 426, 391 5, 905, 852 – 479, 461
21. Oyo 2, 487, 132 2, 415, 566 71, 566 –
22. Ogun 1, 796, 024 1, 829, 534 – 33, 510
23. Osun 1, 318, 120 1, 407, 107 – 88, 987
24. Ondo 1, 472, 237 1, 524, 665 – 52, 428
25. Ekiti 688, 950 732, 021 – 43, 071

(Source: INEC September 2014) (Source: INEC January 2015)

Southwest:

Total RVs for 2014=13, 193, 854

Total RVs for 2015 Polls=13, 814, 735

Total Deleted=71, 566

Total Added=697, 457 States

E. South-south Geopolitical Zone

States Post-AFIS Registered Voters (RVs) Of 2014 2015 RVs Deleted Added

26. Rivers 2, 466, 977 2, 537, 590 – 70, 631
27. Edo 1, 593, 488 1, 779, 738 – 186, 250
28. A. Ibom 1, 621, 798 1, 680, 759 – 58, 961
29. Delta 2, 044, 372 2, 275, 264 – 230, 892
30. C/River 1, 169, 469 1, 175, 623 – 6, 154
31. Bayelsa 590, 679 610, 373 – 19, 694

(Source: INEC September 2014) (Source: INEC January 2015)

South-South:

Total RVs for 2014=9, 486, 783

Total RVs for 2015 Polls=10, 059, 347

Total Deleted=Zero

Total Added=572, 582

F. Southeast Geopolitical Zone

States Post-AFIS Registered Voters (RVs) Of 2014 2015 RVs Deleted Added

32. Anambra 1, 784, 536 1, 963, 173 – 178, 637
33. Imo 1, 672, 666 1, 803, 030 – 130, 364
34. Enugu 1, 313, 128 1, 429, 221 – 116, 093
35. Abia 1, 378, 844 1, 396, 162 – 8, 318
36. Ebonyi 1, 020, 011 1, 079, 273 – 54, 262

(Source: INEC September 2014) (Source: INEC January 2015)

Southeast:

Total RVs for 2014=7, 178, 185

Total RVs for 2015 Polls=7, 665, 859

Total Deleted=Zero

Total Added=487, 674

G. Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

Total RVs for 2014=892, 628

Total RVs for 2015 Polls= 881, 472

Total Deleted=11, 156

Total Added=Zero.

In the third part of this publication of ours, further analysis will be provided. This will include the geopolitical breakdown of the deleted registered voters figure of 3, 796, 767, randomly and magisterially deleted by INEC in November/December 2014; as well as the total figure of 2, 120, 502, which represents the total number of newly registered voters captured by INEC in 2014 during its continuous voters’ registration exercises across the country. We will also revisit the State-by-State and geopolitical distribution of PVCs across the country, which INEC says is 45, 098, 876 as at 4^th February 2015.

•Being Part Two of a statement issued today in Onitsha by the International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety) entitled ‘Shocking Findings On How INEC Tainted & Sectionalised Nigeria’s National Register Of Voters’ signed by Board Chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Campaign & Publicity Department Uzochukwu Oguejiofor, Esq.; and Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Programme Obianuju Igboeli, Esq.