The former Provost Marshall of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Idada Ikponwen (Rtd), has described as unfortunate and worrisome the discovery of over one millon fake and double registration of voters by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He, however, praised INEC for standing to its responsibility by detecting and removing the fake/ double registrations from its portal even as he urged the electoral body to be vigilant ahead of the 2023 elections.
He maintained that the Commission is responsible for a credible, free and fair elections in Nigeria.
Recall that INEC had announced on Monday, September 12 that it detected double, multiple and ineligible registrations in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise held between January 15 and July 31, 2022.
INEC’s National Commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, had a statement in Abuja, said the irregularities were discovered during the clean-up of the voters register using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
The retired Army General, who is now Lawyer, while speaking to LEADERSHIP on Thursday in Benin City, Edo State, also decried the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I heard about it on the television and also read it in the national dailies. It is very worrisome that something like that is coming up when we have just some months to the general elections.
“It means that there is double registration and that amount to be fake. If we can get this number now, one wonders what it is going to look like during the elections. On the other hand there is need to give INEC kudos for the recovery and giving the information to Nigerians.
“This is encouraging to all true democrats. INEC is not only a supervisor and watchdog of electioneering cum electoral process; they are primary and indispensable custodians of democracy.
“Success or failure of the electoral process is largely dependent on the quality of men and women in the Commission; that is what ought to be and that is why they are called INEC,” Gen. Ikponwen (rtd) said.
On the choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket by the ruling APC, he berated the party for fielding candidates of the same faith, saying that, “governance is the business of the people. Government is accountable to the people; it is from the people that the government derives legitimacy.
“Therefore campaigns of any political party must aim at winning the confidence of the people in its entirety. In a multi-ethnic and multi-religion society, a party that intends to win the next elections at any level, must ensure that everyone is carried along,” he stated.
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