INEC To Sanction 23 Officials Over Illegal Voters’ Registration

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said twenty-three of its staff in Kwara State are awaiting sanctions for their involvement in illegal voters’ registration in the State.

This was revealed by the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Garba Attahiru Madami on Friday.

He made this disclosure in Ilorin at a stakeholders’ meeting with members of registered political parties for 2023 elections, with security agencies also in attendance.

Madami who noted that the current total voting population of Kwara state is 1.6m, decried poor response of the people of the State to collection of permanent voter cards, saying from 2011 to 2019 the commission has a total of 233,856 uncollected voter cards.

He explained that out of the figure of uncollected voter cards, only 20,752 were collected as at October 2022, with over 193,000 remaining uncollected.

Explaining the importance of the stakeholders’ meeting, he said it is the first step towards ensuring hitch-free elections in the State next year.

Madami promised to protect the electoral process by conducting free, fair, transparent, peaceful and credible elections which will be acceptable to all the state residents.

Meanwhile, while speaking, the State Police Commissioner, Paul Odama, warned politicians against vote buying which the electoral law frowns against.

He tasked them to engage in issue-based campaigns, shun thuggery and damage to billboards of opposing political parties.

The Police Commissioner also warned politicians to desist from feeding their supporters with hard drugs to guarantee violence free campaigns and elections in the State.