Electoral Act: Senate moves to grant voting right to displaced persons

A copy of the proposed legislation seen by Daily Trust is seeking fresh amendments to the Electoral Act 2010 by further empowering it to establish polling units in camps of displaced persons across the country.Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume from Borno State, sponsor of the legislation, said INEC will be under obligation to identify various camps […]

A copy of the proposed legislation seen by Daily Trust is seeking fresh amendments to the Electoral Act 2010 by further empowering it to establish polling units in camps of displaced persons across the country.
Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume from Borno State, sponsor of the legislation, said INEC will be under obligation to identify various camps of displaced persons, register them and establish polling units to enable them vote in 2015.
He said the proposed bill is seeking to amend Section 42 of the Electoral Act which deals with establishment of polling units.
Section 42 of the Act states: “the Commission shall establish sufficient number of polling units in each registration area and shall allot voters to such polling units.”
The Senator said proposed amendment seeks to introduce two new sections which will empower INEC to provide polling units in the camps of Internally Displaced Persons across the country and for the people to vote.
Ndume stressed that insecurity should not be a reason to disenfranchise millions of Nigerians and deny them their right to vote.
The lawmaker whose constituency of Borno South Senatorial District has been under insurgency, said INEC will be mandated by the new section to establish polling units in the camps.
Daily Trust gathered that the implication of the proposed amendment is that displaced persons in different parts of the country can elect people in their constituencies from where they are.
INEC chairman Attahiru Jega had in September told the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters that the commission was considering administering votes to displaced person from Michika and Madagali ahead of the botched governorship election in Adamawa State.