The Arena

Corps members in court over voter registration

Prof. Attahiru Jega, Inec chairman

Five National Youth Serving Corps members, a councilor, and an ad hoc staff are standing trial for allegedly diverting the Direct Data Capturing [DDC] machines and other materials meant for the ongoing voter registration exercise.

The corps members are Makinwa Michael, Ovat Benard, Mustapha Yahaya, Osha Tolulope and Chinyere Okoye while the councilor is Effiong Edet Oqua representing Idundu Ward in Akpabuyo Local Government Area where the incident took place. One ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Victor Etim Ekanem is the other accused.They are standing trial before a Calabar Magistrate Court which remanded them in police custody till Wednesday when the issue of jurisdiction argued by their lawyers will be determined....read more

INEC discovers four centres inside thick forest

The Independent National Electoral Commission has discovered four voter registration centres in a thick forest in Anambra State.

The centres were found six kilometres deep into the Nziko forest at Nteje, Oyi Local Government Area.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukogu, led a team that included the state’s Deputy Governor, Mr. Emeka Sibeudu, to the units located “within the vicinity of a shrine.”

It took the team 30 minutes to drive on the rough road from the nearest residential area to a point where the rest of the journey was made on foot for more than 10 minutes...read more

Reps amend Electoral Act to allow more time for registration

National Assembly Complex, Abuja

The House of Representatives has approved a third amendment to the Electoral Act. Under the new amendment, the registration of voters can end 30 days before elections, instead of the 60 days earlier stipulated.

With this amendment the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) now has a full month to consider whether to extend the ongoing registration of voters. The registration which kicked off on January 15 was billed to end on January 29.

However, for the new amendment to sail through it has to receive the support of the Senate and the accent of the president. When the Senate resumed yesterday after a four-week break, David Mark, the Senate President declared that by virtue of the existing law, the electoral commission has no right to move the date...read more