- Yakubu said the policy, when implemented, will address the voting rights of inmates and grant voting rights to thousands of prisoners in the country.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says it’s working towards extending franchise and suffrage to prison inmates so that they can vote during elections.
The chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said this when officials of the Nigeria Correctional Service visited the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
The Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche Ofori, was at the INEC headquarters on Friday to advocate for the voting rights of inmates.
Yakubu said the policy, when implemented, will address the voting rights of inmates and grant voting rights to thousands of prisoners in the country.
Yakubu appreciated the proposal, pointing out that several African nations such as Ghana, Kenya and South Africa already allow inmates to vote.
He said, “Working together, we can seize the opportunity of ongoing electoral reform for a clear legal provision specifically covering citizens serving time in our correctional facilities.
“Our immediate task is to engage with the National Assembly for clarity and legal backing.”
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