INEC Staff, Security Agents Denied Voting Rights in Nigeria – Youth Group Alerts
- A youth advocacy group has exposed systemic voting exclusion of security personnel, INEC staff, NYSC members, and prison inmates during Nigerian elections
- The activists revealed that election workers and inmates remain disenfranchised despite court rulings, undermining democratic credibility
- The group demands urgent reforms, including special voting arrangements, to ensure electoral inclusivity ahead of future polls
A prominent youth advocacy organization has called attention to what it describes as systemic disenfranchisement of crucial participants in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The Unemployed Youth Initiative (UYI) has highlighted how security personnel, electoral officials, youth corps members, and prison inmates remain unable to exercise their voting rights during elections despite their central roles in the democratic process.
A Nigerian court had ruled that INEC should devise a way to ensure that election workers and inmates get to vote during election periods.Source: Original
Group expresses concerns over alleged ‘disenfranchisement’
During a media briefing in Abuja, UYI leaders Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince and Comrade Igwe Ude-umanta expressed dismay over the persistent exclusion of these groups.
They noted the irony that individuals responsible for ensuring free and fair elections – including INEC staff and security operatives – are themselves denied voting opportunities due to operational assignments that take them far from their registered polling units.
The group contrasted this with international practices where special voting arrangements are routinely made for election workers.
INEC ignores court orders
Particular concern was directed at prison populations, where UYI alleges authorities continue ignoring a decade-old court judgment affirming inmates’ voting rights.
The activists noted that many detainees, including those awaiting trial, remain constitutionally eligible to vote yet face blanket exclusion. They referenced a pending judicial order mandating INEC to conduct special voter registration for correctional facilities, urging immediate compliance to address this democratic deficit.
“The continued disenfranchisement of these critical demographics undermines electoral credibility and violates constitutional guarantees,” UYI stated.
The organization warned that excluding thousands of eligible voters, particularly youth corps members who facilitate elections, creates perceptions of institutional bias and weakens public confidence in electoral outcomes.
Nigeria’s watertight election architecture blamed
Electoral reform analysts suggest the concerns highlight structural gaps in Nigeria’s voting framework. Unlike advanced democracies that implement early voting or postal ballots for special categories, Nigeria’s rigid electoral architecture makes no provisions for citizens unavoidably displaced from their polling units on election day.
UYI has pledged to intensify advocacy for legal amendments ensuring voting access for all eligible Nigerians regardless of professional obligations or circumstances.
The group announced plans to collaborate with civil society partners and legislative allies to push for inclusive electoral reforms ahead of future election cycles.
INEC officials contacted for reaction declined immediate comment but confirmed receipt of the group’s petition. Prison authorities similarly deferred to relevant government agencies on matters of inmate voting rights implementation.
The debate emerges as Nigeria prepares for upcoming off-cycle elections, with stakeholders increasingly questioning whether the electoral system truly reflects the democratic principle of universal adult suffrage.
Legal experts note that resolving these exclusion issues could significantly impact voter participation statistics and potentially alter electoral outcomes in closely contested races.
INEC staff linked to alleged plot to recall Senator Natasha
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that a civic group in Kogi State, Action Collective, had uncovered an alleged plot to orchestrate the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan through fraudulent means.
The organization claims that faceless individuals are being recruited to append signatures on a recall petition in a bid to silence the lawmaker, who represents Kogi Central in the Nigerian Senate.
Source: TheTalk.NG
