The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday urged the National Population Commission (NPoPC) to furnish it with record of dead citizens since 2015 to enable it “sanitise’’ the voter register.
Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the request when he visited the Chairman of NPC, Mr Eze Duruijeoma, in Abuja.
He said that the records were necessary to enable the electoral board to expunge names of dead persons from the national voter register.
According to him, the commission was determined to do whatever it takes to sanitise the voter register as a free, fair and credible election is dependent on a sanitised voter register.
“We will like to partner NPC and ask that the population commission make available records of dead citizens since 2015 to enable us take necessary steps to remove them from the voter register.
“We are confident that you will oblige us so that we can further clean up our voter register ahead of the 2019 general elections,” Yakubu said.
The chairman said that as provided by the Constitution, both commissions were saddled with similar responsibilities.
“While INEC is saddled with the responsibility of registering eligible voters, the population commission registers births and deaths of citizens across the country.
“A draft copy of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies had been submitted to the population commission for its consideration.
“When the MoU is signed, it will formalise and enhance collaboration between the sister agencies for the general development of the country,” Yakubu said.
Responding, Duruijeoma commended INEC for the initiative to sanitise the voter register using records of NPC.
He said that the collaboration between the sister agencies in the performance of statutory duties was very pivotal to national development.
According to Duruijeoma,Nigeria will be great, if we get our elections and censuses right.
He said that the commission would commence the process of making the records of deaths across the country available to INEC but revealed that the commission cannot pretend to have the records of every birth or death that had occurred since 2015.
“We look forward to the day when every single birth or death case will be efficiently documented by the commission
“The copies of the MoU had been circulated among relevant officers within the commission and that necessary inputs were already being made,” Duruijeoma said.
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