No Political Party in Nigeria Has a Complete Member Register, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that no political party in Nigeria possesses a complete register of its members.

This revelation was made by INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, during a media interaction in Benin City.

Yakubu challenged any political party that claims to have a complete register to produce it, highlighting that parties often expect INEC to handle responsibilities that fall within their purview.

“As of today, INEC has the largest database of citizens in Nigeria, with 93 million citizens having completed their biometrics on our register.

We are still waiting for political parties to provide us with the complete records of their members, even in a single ward,” Yakubu said.

He further noted, “There is no political party that has a complete register of its members, even in one ward. Yet, when they come to meetings like this, they expect us to do everything.

What are your contributions as a political party to the improvement of our democratic process? If any party in Edo State has a complete register of its members, let me see it by a show of hands.

Then I will bring the record you submitted to INEC and prove that you are not telling the truth. I stand to be corrected.”

Yakubu recounted an instance where political parties were asked to bring their records to Abuja.

“What did you hear? Some parties claimed they had the records but said the logistics of moving the registers from the ward to Abuja were too enormous. But in truth, they don’t have any.”

He also mentioned that the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise is designed to enable eligible voters in the state to register, replace, and transfer their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to a location of their choice.

Contrary to claims that youths have lost confidence in the Commission following the 2023 general elections, Yakubu asserted that the majority of participants in the ongoing CVR in Edo and Ondo states are between 18 and 34 years old.

“When I went around Benin yesterday, the majority of the people I saw at CVR centres were young people.

They are not disconnected. Every day, I receive an update on the total number of registered voters, total number of requests for transfer, and replacement for cards in Edo and Ondo states.

The update I received for day four in Edo showed that the vast majority of those who registered and applied for transfer are young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 34 years. This pattern was also reflected during the last general elections.”

He emphasized that INEC relies on empirical data rather than emotions. “In fact, the vast majority of those who registered in Edo and Ondo are students.

These are young people, not adult education attendees,” he added.