93,500 multiple registration cases detected in Anambra – Jega

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said in Abuja on Monday that the commission had detected 93,526 multiple registration cases in Anambra ahead of the November 16 governorship election in the state.

Jega made the fact known during an interactive session with civil society organisations and the media on voters’ registration optimisation.

He said the figure, which had been removed from the voters’ register, represented five per cent of the registered voters in Anambra.

He said the offenders would be prosecuted as INEC was collaborating with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to bring the perpetrators to book.

“This exercise is starting with Anambra and would be done nationwide before the 2015 general elections,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Prof. Jega as saying at the interactive session.

The INEC chairman identified underage registration as a major problem affecting smooth registration in the country.

He expressed concern that in many communities where multiple registrations occurred, INEC officials were helpless after threats by some members of the communities.

He said, henceforth, all voters’ cards would be issued and collected at the local governments with age identification by the electorate to minimise electoral fraud.