The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says no political party in Nigeria has a complete register of its members.
DAILY POST reports that Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, made the remark during a chat with newsmen in Benin City.
Yakubu, who challenged political parties that have a complete register to produce it, noted that they are all waiting for the Commission to do everything for them, even those that are within their purvey.
Noting that INEC has the largest database of citizens in Nigeria, Yakubu noted that the Commission has 93 millions citizens that have completed their biometrics on its register.
He said “As at today INEC has the largest database of citizens in Nigeria of 93 millions citizens who have completed their biometrics. We are still waiting for political parties to give us the complete records of register of their members even in one ward.
“There is no political party that has complete register of its members even in one ward. But when they come to a meeting like this, they will be calling us to do everything.
“What is your contributions as a political party to the improvement of our democratic process? If there is any party that has complete register of its members in Edo State let me see it by a show of hands. Then I will bring the record you submitted to INEC and prove that they are not saying the truth. I stand to be corrected.
“There was a time when we said all the records should be brought to Abuja, What did you hear? You hear some parties saying we have the records but the logistics of moving the registers from the ward to Abuja is so enormous.
“But of a truth, they don’t have any.”
Yakubu noted that the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration exercise was to enable eligible voters in the state to register to vote, replace and transfer Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, to a place of their choice.
While disagreeing with claims that the youths have lost confidence in the Commission as a result of the outcome of the conduct of the 2023 general elections, he posited that the vast majority of those that are currently participating in the ongoing CVR in Edo and Ondo states are between 18 and 34 years.
“When I went around Benin yesterday, the majority of the people I saw at CVR centres were young people. They are not disconnected.
“Everyday I receive an update on the total number of registered voters, total number of requests for transfer, replacement for cards in Edo and Ondo states.
“The update I received for day four in Edo, the vast majority of those who registered and applied for transfer are young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 34 years. The pattern reflected in the same way during the last general elections.
“For us we are empirical people. We deal with data before us. We hardly talk about emotions. In fact the vast majority of those that registered in Edo and Ondo are students. These are young people and are not adult education people,” he added.
No Nigerian political party has complete register of members – INEC