Human rights group urges update of voters’ register in Anambra

A human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to update the voters’ register for the Anambra governorship poll in November.

Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, the Chairman, Intersociety Board of Trustees, made the call in a statement made available to Newsverge in Onitsha on Monday.

Umeagbalasi said the call became necessary to ensure early commencement of the exercise, to avoid disenfranchising voters at the poll.

“The delay by INEC and the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) in this regard is nothing short of political exclusion and gross deprivation of the people of their inalienable rights to participate in political and democratic processes.

“Realistically, three out of every six adults living in the state presently are yet to be captured by INEC as registered voters and holders of PVCs.

“This was the case prior to the 2015 general elections and the voting population has further increased due to migration.

“Hundreds of thousands of citizens resident in the state have also reached the voting age of 18 years from May 2015 till date as well as tens of thousands of others who are either dead or relocated.”

Umeagbalasi urged Gov. Willie Obiano to begin the process for the conduct of local government elections.

He described the continued use of caretaker committees to administer the local government areas of the state as “unacceptable”.

“Since January 2016, when the two-year tenure of the 21 local government chairmen and their 326 councillors expired, the state local council system has remained under caretaker committees till date.

“We, therefore, view the non-conduct of council polls and failure to update voters’ register in the state as a fundamental violation of the Constitution.

“They violate Section 7 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended in 2011,” Umeagbalasi stressed.