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The Kwara State Resident Electoral Commisssioner (REC), Mallam Garba Attahiru, today said the commission has discovered
29,000 multiple registrations of permanent voter cards by the residents of the state so far.
Revealed further that Fifty per cent of those who registered for PVCs between June and December last year did multiple registrations.
The INEC Boss, however said 2023 general elections will be the best elections ever conducted in Nigeria.
Attahiru disclosed this in Ilorin, Kwara State today at a lecture organised by the Michael Imoudu National Institute For Labour Studies (MINILS) to mark this year’s Democracy Day.
The REC said that technology that will be deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commisssion (INEC) for the conduct of next year’s elections will ensure transparency of the entire process.
Attahiru hinted that the electronic transmission of elections results will make it difficult for any collation officer to tamper with the original results of elections recorded at the polling units.
He said the last governorship election in Edo State showed how effective technology can be in checkmating rigging of elections.
“We have even improved on the technology deployed during the last Edo State governorship election and this will ensue transparency in the electoral processes,” the REC stated.
Attahiru also warned politicians against buying permanent voters cards, adding that: “You can buy PVCs, but you can’t use them. Technology has been put in place to detect multiple registrations. We have 29,000 multiple registrations in Kwara State so far. Fifty percent of those who registered for PVCs between June and December did multiple registration. The fine for multiple registration is one year imprisonment or N1m fine or both. Those people cannot get their PVCs.
“The best election that Nigeria will ever conduct is 2023 elections. This is because of technology. Collation officers cannot tamper with the election results any longer. We will transmit results electronically. In 2019, we relied on the integrity of the retuning officers and other electoral officers for a transparent election.”
Earlier, the director general of MINILS, Comrade Issa Aremu, had congratulated President Muhamadu Buhari and Nigerians over the 22 years uninterrupted democratic rule in the country since 29th May, 1999.
Aremu also praised Buhari for “courageously redressed the historic injustice of the criminal annulment of June June 12th of 1993. He also rightly conferred posthumous honours on Chief MKO Abiola and others.”
The DG, who noted that Nigerians in the last two decades have made the point that votes and votes count are the desirable ways for ensuring good governance commended INEC which despite the “imperfect politically environment” is improving on the electoral process to make elections increasingly credible.
He said MINILS is concerned about democracy and democratic process because the institution itself is an institutional democracy dividend.
In his speech, Oba Abdulrahman Abioye, the Olukotun of Ikotun in Oyun Local Government Area of the state, enjoined Nigerians to have confidence in INEC and in the country’s democracy.
He also appealed to Nigerians to get registered in order to have the opportunity of electing leaders of their choice in 2023.
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