The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has requested the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to extend voting rights to inmates at the Correctional Service in order to exercise their civil responsibility as a citizen of the country.
The Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa ably represented by ACG Daniel Odharo made this request when he led management team on a courtesy visit to the Commission on Tuesday 19th July 2022 in Abuja.
The representative asked the Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission INEC for inclusive of inmates in the forth coming General elections.
The INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu in his response said INEC is committed to inclusivity, including the rights of immates to vote during elections "as it being done in Africa, Kenya and South Africa have confirmed voting rights on inmates, so already something like that is happening in our continent. Two countries, Kenya and South Africa, have extended that right", he said.
Prof Yakubu said the request by the Nigerian Correctional Service to extend voting right to inmates of the correctional service is agreeable in principle, as INEC have no issues with that.
He noted how INEC included persons with disability as ad hoc staff during elections, reinstated the Commission's commitment to inclusivity for which reason the Commissioners made elaborate arrangement for persons with disability, we have been providing assisting devices, magnifying glasses, posters for the election day, ballot jackets during elections.
INEC boss therefore seek for transparency of the process of including inmates to participate in the 2023 general elections and advise the commision on critical questions.
"Will inmates vote outside the prison or inside the prison? Are we going to set-up polling units inside the prison or will the polling units outside? We believe that some of them are already registered voters. The majority of them actually awaiting trial, so they may not be registered voters if they are registered voters, there can't be registered. What they will do is to transfer their registration.Will they transfer their registration to the correctional centres?"
Will political parties be allowed to campaign inside the correctional centres? This a matter that you need to advise the Commission. Will observers and media be allowed access to the correctional centres on Election Day? Will INEC officials be granted access to the correctional centres for voter education?This a matter that we need to discuss. Will election hold in all 218 federal correctional centres currently holding invest nationwide? Or there are some correctional centres where this process can start instead of all the 218?
Professor Yakubu said these are some of the issues that Nigerian Correctional Service need to carefully discuss and resolve before a decision is taken by INEC.