Kwara: INEC to sanction 23 staff over illegal voters’ registration

Twenty-three staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Kwara State are awaiting sanctions for their involvement in illegal voters’ registration in the State.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Garba Attahiru Madami, disclosed this in Ilorin at a stakeholders’ meeting with members of registered political parties contesting the 2023 general elections, with security agencies also in attendance.

He said the current total voting population of Kwara state is 1.6m.

He decried poor response of the people of the State to collection of permanent voter cards, saying from 2011 to 2019 the commission has a total of 233,856 uncollected voter cards.

Madami explained that out of the figure of uncollected voter cards, only 20,752 were collected as at October 2022, with over 193,000 remaining uncollected.

He explained that the stakeholders’ meeting was necessary as the first step towards ensuring hitch-free elections in the State next year.

Madami vowed to protect the electoral process by conducting free, fair, transparent, peaceful and credible elections which will be acceptable to Kwarans.

In his remarks, the State Police Commissioner, Paul Odama, warned politicians against vote buying which the electoral law frowns against.

He advised them to engage in issues-based campaigns, shun thuggery and damage to billboards of opposing political parties.

Odama also cautioned politicians to desist from feeding their supporters with hard drugs to guarantee violence free campaigns and elections in the State.