News
Nigerians roast INEC over underage, double registration in voters register
A groundswell of total disappointment and widespread outrage has trailed the irregularities found in the voter register released online by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Nigerians on social media are practically roasting officials of the commission over reported multiple cases of multiple registrations and the registration of under-aged looking voters, the document is said to be fraught with.
For instance, a male voter, Lawal Raufu A, with date of birth, 1949, appeared three times with three different Voter Identification Number (90F5B1ABBD295362247, 90F5B1ABBD295441709, 90FB1ABBD2953619011).
The name of a female voter, Bulu Zaria appeared twice with two different VIN (90F5B16A2C295875620, 90F5B16A2C296558630), while another female voter, Florence O appeared twice with two different VIN (90F5B1CA9E295878082, 90F5B1CA9E295878671). Abubakar Aisha, a female, born in 1994 appeared thrice with three different VIN (90F5AF7B9842115037B, 90F5AF7B98421150926, 90F5AF7B98421151991) and Abdulhamid Mamman appeared twice with two different VIN (90F5B065A6526477205, 90F5B065A6526477716). In Kano, a voter Anah Ifeanyi appeared twice also with two VIN numbers
There were also pictures of underaged-looking voters like Abdu James with VIN 90F5AFBF29295522308, Amos Joshua with VIN 90F5AE62DC26319140, Albert Emma, 90F5AF2C50296907996, Darama Yusuf, woith VIN 90F5AF3EB1295961014, Darama Emmaunel, with VIN 90F5AF3EB1295800555, Abdulahi Hamsatu, with VIN, 90F5AF3EB1295950946, Ali Sunday with VIN 90F5AF3EB1296752379.
Nigerians condemned the irregularities, accusing the Commission of bias after it was revealed that the South East and the South South had the highest number of invalid registration.
But in a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, INEC said: “During the display, any person may make a claim that the name of a registered voter has been omitted, make corrections on his or her personal details on the register, raise an objection against the inclusion of any persons not qualified to vote or in the name of a dead person on the register.
“Nigerians should seize the opportunity to scrutinise the register and draw the Commission’s attention to any corrections in their personal particulars and any malicious registrations, multiple registrations, non-Nigerians or any persons not qualified to be on the register. By the provisions of the law, cleaning up of the voters’ register is a collective national responsibility. So far, the commission has weeded out ineligible registrants using the automated biometric identification system. By working together with the citizens, we can clean the register further as it is the critical foundation for credible elections.”
In spite of the clarification, a twitter user, Chudemedia said: “Voters registration portal need to be audited, we cannot go into an election with a large number of underage registered voters in Northern Nigeria. It is very unfair! This is the time for every well-meaning Nigeria call out this partiality while Sheni Kabiru wrote: “Dear INEC, here is an anomaly in your voters register, numbers 104-106 have three pictures (same pic for that matter) and three different VIN numbers, same name and year of birth. If such occurrences are littered in other PUs, then we really have a long way to go.”
A twitter user, Chuma said: I and my cousins registered for PVC since May, till today when we enter our names in the verification portal they say our information not found, yet we have the slip they gave us the registration centre though faded. Aren’t we being disenfranchised like this.”
Mark Essien wrote: “The Nigerian Voters register is clearly invalid. INEC needs to clean it up. There should be a public portal showing all disputed voters and INEC should publicly publish what happens to each of them (accepted, rejected). The public If INEC does not clean up the register, everyone will believe the election was rigged. And that would justify things like election violence. For a fragile country, this is an existential risk to take contribute to find invalid.”
Alonika: Appears INEC did not clean the register in the North like they did thoroughly in the South East and South South. They cleaned out the Southern register with Hypo, Jik, Harpic plus Ariel and swept the northern register with old broomstick and one litre of water, while Shehu Sadiq said: “Look at the work of INEC in my Northern Nigeria. This is shameful and unacceptable. INNEC should invalidate all the underage registered voters now!
Another user, William said: “How do you convince someone to believe in fair and inclusive Nigeria after the shit INEC just pulled? How? Thirty five percent of newly registered voters in the South – South were made “invalid”, but child voters are were not detected elsewhere?, while Baron said: “I have always been skeptical about INEC chairman and quite frankly the Commission has presented herself as an Independent umpire. The Nigerian people want a free and fair election but INEC has taken deliberate steps to frustrate the desire of the people.”
However, INEC had in an earlier statement said that Nigerians who have objections to the voter register should approach the commission with their complaints.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, announced the approval of the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding.
Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, who conveyed the development to the public, said the fund would strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
To be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, the committee with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives is also expected to get briefings on their plans to contain the disease.
Onanuga, stated that Tinubu also specifically directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.
Stating that the President’s move followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the CoS to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country., the statement informed that the Task Force would also intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.
Other measures would also include enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries and mandated the task force to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
Justice Akintoye Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of Paul Jibrin Oweleke in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media broadcasts that allegedly called for overthrow of President Bola Tinubu.
Specifically, Oweleke, in a two-count charge was accused of publishing posts on his online platform known as “Oweleke TV”, urging the Nigerian military to remove the President from office in a manner similar to takeovers in some West African countries, an act the agency said bordered on incitement and the use of a computer system to disseminate content considered prejudicial to national security and constitutional governance.
Oweleke’s broadcasts, the agency stressed, were capable of inciting public disorder and promoting disaffection against the government, which will undermine the country’s democracy.
Legal argument had ensued immediately after Oweleke, pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer kicking vehemently against the prayer of the agency that the court should order his remand pending the commencement of trial, on the ground that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.
But Aluko, who was persuaded to grant the prayer, went with the DSS, while adjourning the matter to June 16 for the hearing of the bail application, stating that Oweleke, would remain in the facility of the agency pending the outcome.
By June 29 all medical doctors in public hospitals in Nigeria will drop their stethoscopes and other instruments of healthcare, unless the Federal Government settles all unpaid allowances, salary arrears, delayed training funds, and worsening welfare concerns of its members across the country’s health sector.
This was the notice served to the government on Monday, through The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the umbrella under which the doctors operate, after rising from Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) held in Kano.
In the 21-day ultimatum to the government, the doctors warned that it would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony if the issues remain unresolved within the 21-day period.
In the resolution conveying their position, signed by Mohammad Suleiman, President, Shuaibu Ibrahim, Secretary-General, and Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, Publicity and Social Secretary, on Friday, the body regretted that government had failed to fulfil several commitments to doctors despite repeated assurances and engagements.
“The association hereby declares an industrial dispute with the federal government of Nigeria on the outlined matters above and cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the 21-day window period given to address all the demands,” the communique reads.
The association said it is giving the federal government the 21-day window to commence concrete actions towards the development and implementation of a national healthcare workers assault prevention and response protocol
and the initiation of the necessary legislative process to address the menace.
NARD also demanded the release and payment of the 2026 medical residency training fund (MRTF) to all eligible resident doctors nationwide within the next 21 days.
The association questioned the unpaid salary and promotion arrears in several federal and state health institutions, as well as discrepancies in professional allowances reflected in members’ May 2026 salaries.
It highlighted the welfare issues affecting house officers, including salary delays, unpaid arrears, and difficulties with internship placement and onboarding processes that remain unresolved.
It also accused Motunrayo Omidiran, executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), of delaying the issuance of letters of compliance to federal health institutions, noting that the delay has hampered recruitment efforts, manpower shortages, and brain drain in the sector.
NARD expressed worries about the increasing assaults, harassment, intimidation, and violent attacks against doctors while on duty, demanding the arrests, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators.
It called for the establishment of a national healthcare workers’ assault prevention and response protocol within 21 days by the federal government and security agencies.
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