The House of Representatives candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, High Chief Benjamin Eze, has reacted to INEC’s clean-up of the voters’ register, saying the removal of 1.6 million invalid entries will mean little unless votes are protected on election days.
In a reaction made available on Tuesday, Eze welcomed the removal of invalid registrations and the identification of 54 complicit staff, but said Nigerians have heard such promises before.
“Cleaning the register is good, but it is only the first step. What Nigerians want to see is a register that is clean, a process that is transparent, and results that truly reflect the will of the people,” Eze said.
He urged INEC to go beyond administrative clean-up and ensure that BVAS works in every polling unit in Igboeze North and Udenu, that results are transmitted in real time, and that no voter is disenfranchised through technical failures, late arrival of materials, or manipulation at collation centres.
“INEC must not only remove ghost names, it must ensure that real votes count. Our people in Igboeze North and Udenu will come out to vote in 2027. They must not be punished for believing in democracy,” he said.
The ADC candidate also called for the prosecution of the 54 indicted staff to serve as a deterrent, warning that without punishment, the clean-up would be seen as a public relations exercise.
“If those who deliberately circumvented the process are not prosecuted, others will do worse in 2027. INEC must show that there are consequences for sabotaging the register,” Eze added.
He further urged the Commission to publish a full breakdown of the invalid registrations by state and local government, and to extend the clean-up to the old register from 2011 to 2023, which INEC itself admitted still contains duplications.
He also called on INEC to resolve the issue of voters whose names were voided for double registration after they failed to transfer, saying such voters should be given a clear window to regularise their status before the final register is published on December 15.
“Democracy is not saved by press conferences. It is saved on election day, in the polling unit, at the collation centre. That is where INEC must prove itself,” Eze said.
