By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has dismissed claims that Nigerians have lost faith in elections, describing such narratives as propaganda without proof.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi told Vanguard on Sunday night that the surge in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration CVR exercise tells a different story.
According to him, the enthusiasm, particularly among young Nigerians, is proof that citizens have not given up on the ballot box.
“The evidence is overwhelming. On the very first day the CVR portal went live, 69,376 Nigerians pre-registered in just seven hours. Within one week, over 1.3 million had signed up. By the fifth week, more than 5.3 million citizens had uploaded their details. There is no African country that has recorded such figures within a month”, he said.
Oyekanmi stressed that the Electoral Act 2022 requires all online applicants to complete the process in person, and within the first month, 764,695 Nigerians did so – either completing their online pre-registration or registering physically.
He argued that these figures shatter the myth of voter apathy and expose critics of the Commission as politically motivated.
“Some of the loudest voices attacking INEC are the same people clamouring for us to take over local government elections. They cannot continue to walk on both sides of the road,” he said.
Citing the 2023 general elections as proof of INEC’s reforms, Oyekanmi noted that the exercise produced the most diverse National Assembly since 1999, with seven political parties winning Senate seats and eight securing representation in the House of Representatives.
He said; “The Commission has made significant improvements to the electoral system. The 2023 general election, more than any other election, demonstrates this fact. The election produced the most diverse National Assembly since the restoration of democracy in 1999. In the Senate, seven political parties won varying numbers of seats, comprising APC-59 seats, PDP-36, LP-8, NNPP-2, SDP-2, APGA-1 and YPP-1.
“Similarly, eight political parties won seats in the House of Representatives. They include APC-177, PDP-117, LP-35, NNPP-19, APGA-5, ADC – 2, SDP-2 and YPP-2
“For the Governorship elections, APC won 16 States, PDP-10, LP-1 and NNPP–1. In fact, nine political parties won seats in the State Assemblies. They include APC-533, PDP-355, LP-38, NNPP-29, APGA-20, YPP-8, SDP-7, A-1, and ADC – 1.
“The recent bye-elections also show that Nigerians have kept faith with the electoral process. Only a credible electoral process could have delivered that level of competition,” he added.
He further pointed out that nine political parties now occupy seats in State Assemblies, while the results of recent bye-elections confirm that Nigerians are still willing to test their choices at the polls.
“Instead of peddling unfounded claims, critics should acknowledge the progress we’ve made. The numbers don’t lie — Nigerians are still invested in their democracy”, Oyekanmi said.
The post INEC fires back, disclaims lack of trust in electoral process, provides data appeared first on Vanguard News.
