By Our Correspondent

Despite court judgements granting inmates of correctional facilities the right to vote in elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said there are still legal and administrative encumbrances hindering the implementation of the judgements.

Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, had on December 16, 2014, granted the relief sought by five inmates on awaiting trial seeking the right of inmates in the nation’s correctional facilities, to vote in elections.

The judgment was upheld by the Benin Division of the Court of Appeal on December 7, 2018.

The judgments were based on the combined provisions of Article 25 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (1966), and Section 25 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) on citizenship.

But INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu noted that the judges ruled that the right to vote is only “a choice to be exercised voluntarily by a citizen and not a duty to be imposed by force of authority.”

Prof. Yakubu, who spoke on Friday when he received the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, on a courtesy visit, admitted that in many parts of the world, including some African countries such as Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, inmates exercised the right to vote.

“We are aware that the right to vote is a human right which cannot be taken away from a citizen on account of time being served in a correctional facility,” he stated.

INEC Chairman recalled that the commission had several discussions with the correctional service, after the judgments, on how inmates who wish to register and vote in elections could do so.

“We even set up a joint technical committee to review all the issues involved and advise on the way forward,” he added, and admitted that the correctional service provided INEC data on the locations and types of federal correctional facilities nationwide, as well as statistics on the various categories of inmates, “the majority of whom are on remand awaiting trial and who may actually be registered voters.”

He, however, expressed concern about access by INEC officials to the correctional facilities for voter registration, creation of polling units and voter education.

“We also brought to your attention concerns about access to your facilities for observers and the media.

“Political parties also want to know if they will be allowed to campaign in the correctional facilities and appoint polling agents on election day,” he stated.

Prof. Yakubu further noted that Section 12(1)[e] of the Electoral Act 2022 regarding voter registration, which is a precondition for voting in elections, restricts the exercise to a Nigerian citizen who “is not subject to any legal incapacity to vote under any law, rule or regulations in force in Nigeria”.

This, he regretted, has been subjected to various interpretations “as to whether this provision relates to inmates on death row, those serving life sentences or those convicted for treason.”

Prof. Yakubu advised that the ongoing electoral reform provides an opportunity for a clear legal provision that will specifically cover citizens serving time in the nation’s correctional facilities.

He, however, promised to engage with the National Assembly for a clear legal provision on inmate voting.

“Thereafter, we can address the specific issues that may arise in the course of implementation. We believe that working together with you and the stakeholders, we can address these concerns,” he said.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has said that projects undertaken by his administration were inspired by the level of under-development and decades of neglect suffered by people of his ljaw ethnic nationality.

Senator Diri stated this on Friday during an inspection of ongoing projects in three local government areas of the state.

A statement by his spokesperson, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, informed that the projects inspected included the 630-metre Angiama-Oporoma link bridge, Oporoma road, Otuan road, Eniwari road in Southern Ijaw LGA, the Polaku/Sabagreia link bridge in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA as well as the 25,000-capacity stadium, Glory Drive Phase 3, nine-storey secretariat complex and Road One of the New Yenagoa City linking the Amassoma-Airport road, all in Yenagoa LGA.

The Bayelsa helmsman noted that as a former Ijaw activist, he had first-hand knowledge of the injustice and long neglect in Ijaw land.

Diri said that now as governor, he was in a better position to frontally address some of the age-long development challenges of his people.

His words: “Many do not understand where l am coming from. I was an Ijaw activist and so l am coming from a background of deprivation. The Ijaws are a people that had been deprived over the years and here l am having the opportunity to address some of these deprivation issues.

“So, l do not need anybody to tell me what to do because l was already aware of the level of deprivation in Ijaw land. This little opportunity that l have, l need to prove to our people that our government is taking the right steps in tackling these challenges. It is not enough to be shouting and criticising.”

At the Angiama-Oporoma bridge project handled by China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), Senator Diri said government had met its contractual obligations by fully funding the project and commended the contractor for the progress achieved.

He said Oporoma, as headquarters of a strategic local government area (Southern Ijaw) in Nigeria, had remained inaccessible by road for over six decades and restated his administration’s commitment to break the jinx.

“This is a local government headquarters that had been inaccessible by road for over 60 years and it is a jinx we are poised to break. The quality and pace of work done speak to the competence of the construction company.

“On the part of government, we are keeping to our promises by not failing in terms of funding the projects. We are all happy – the contractor, government and indeed the beneficiaries, which are the people of this local government area.”

At the new stadium site at Igbogene, Diri also expressed satisfaction with the quality of work, stating that the project was at the foundation stage of pilling and sand-filling.

“The foundation is the most important aspect of this project. If you do not get the foundation right, then everything will collapse, particularly in a terrain like ours. You need very solid foundation.

“It follows that for a stadium project like this, you need to pile and do a lot of sand-filling. I am satisfied with what l have seen today. It is clear to me that even with the rains, work can still continue here.”

On project variation, Diri explained that government was not expecting additional cost as contracts awarded after the national economic downturn were based on current prices, expressing optimism that the infrastructure projects would be delivered within the stipulated time frame.

The governor was accompanied on the project inspection by leader of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Monday Obolo, member representing Burutu Constituency 1 in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Anthony Ebitonmo, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr. Irorodamie Komonibo, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Estate Surveyor Moses Teibowei, as well as Chairman, Directorate of Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Engr. Ebiye Tarabina, and other government officials.

By George Mgbeleke

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced the nationwide resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections, beginning August 18, 2025.

This as the commission devlres that it has received a total of 151 applications from associations seeking party registration.

The Commission, in a statement issued on Thursday, after its weekly meeting, confirmed that the CVR exercise will kick off with online pre-registration on August 18, while the in-person registration will commence a week later, on August 25.

It noted that both modes of registration, online and physical, will run concurrently for one year, concluding on August 30, 2026.

According to the Commission, the exercise will take place across 811 designated centres, including all 774 Local Government Areas, LGAs, as well as 37 State and FCT offices, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding national public holidays.

INEC said to enhance accessibility and ease for intending registrants, it has developed a CVR Live Locator to help citizens identify their nearest registration centres.

It added that the locator will go live on August 17, just a day before the resumption of the online registration, and will be accessible via https://cvr.inecnigeria.org/locator.

The Commission further disclosed that a comprehensive 38-page document, listing the addresses of all 811 physical registration centres has also been uploaded to its website and official platforms for public awareness.

INEC added that it has provided dedicated phone numbers for each state to act as help desks for individuals seeking further assistance or clarification regarding the process.

National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, who signed the statement, assured Nigerians that the procedure for registration remains the same as in the previous CVR held in 2022.

Olumekun added that more detailed guidelines, including video tutorials, would be released by the Commission in the coming week to guide citizens through the registration process.

Meanwhile, INEC has disclosed that since its last update on July 23, 2025, it has received eight additional letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties, bringing the total number of requests so far to 151.

The details of the latest submissions, covering proposed party names, acronyms, logos, headquarters, and interim leadership structures, have been uploaded to INEC’s website and social media platforms to ensure transparency and public access.

INEC also revealed that a new online portal for political party registration has been created, and the Commission has now commenced the shortlisting of associations that meet the legal and administrative criteria to proceed to the formal application stage.

However, INEC clarified that further details regarding the shortlisting process will be made public after the conclusion of the 16 scheduled bye-elections in 12 states slated for Saturday, August 16, 2025.

Reaffirming its commitment to transparency and accountability, the Commission emphasized that it will continue to provide timely updates to the public regarding its electoral preparations and other statutory responsibilities.

“We reassure Nigerians that the Commission shall continue to keep citizens informed on all its activities,” the statement said.