Charly Boy, others storm INEC headquarters over poor registration exercise

OURMumuDonDo Movement led by ace musician, Charles Oputa,
popularly known as Charly Boy, on Monday, stormed the National
headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC), Abuja, on a peaceful protest over the poor handling of
voters’ registration exercise nationwide.

The movement also condemned the underage voting during the last
Saturday Local Government elections in Kano State.

The movement said it was deeply and genuinely concerned that if
necessary actions were not taken to remedy deficiencies plaguing
the electoral process, it would be difficult to eradicate
voter-apathy and disenfranchisement, and even more difficult to
sustain the democracy.

Other speakers were Conveners of Concerned Nigerians, Deji
Adeyanju; OurMumuDonDo, Raphael Adebayo; Coalition in Defence of
Nigerian Democracy, Ariyo Dare Atoye; as well as Campaign for
Democracy; Bako Abdul Usman and MAD Connect, Moses Paul.

They were received by a senior police officer, Paul Odama and
Assistant Director, Security Directorate of INEC, Muse Sekpe, who
led their representatives into the premises to personally submit
the protest letter.

While expressing the readiness of the movement to partner with
INEC to galvanise the Continuous Voter’s Registration Exercise,
Oputa said the group came to register its displeasure with the
entire process.

He said if the commission failed to address the issues raised in
their letter and reply within two weeks, the movement would begin
its daily-sit-out at the front of INEC office.

Oputa said after series of meticulous observations of the
electoral process and interface with voters across the nation,
deems it to engage the commission on what the movement has
discovered so far.

“While we commend INEC on some giant stride it has recorded
since its formation, and space it is giving to dialogue this period
on how to improve our electoral process, the movement wishes to
engage the commission on the following challenges encumbering mass
participation of the Nigerian people in the electoral process.

“The challenge of voters’ registration in different parts of the
country, especially with regards to the unavailability of required
registration centres in most of the states in Nigeria.

“The challenge of voters’ apathy and disenfranchisement as a
result of the longtime practice of rigidity in the electoral
process. The challenge of conspicuous deficiencies with regards to
electronic voting, the compilation of results, and accurate
documentation and reportage of the number of voters nationwide.

Adeyanju, while speaking, therefore, took a swipe at the just
concluded Local Government election in Kano State where adolescent
age participated actively during the election.

OURMumuDonDo Movement led by ace musician, Charles Oputa,
popularly known as Charly Boy, on Monday, stormed the National
headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC), Abuja, on a peaceful protest over the poor handling of
voters’ registration exercise nationwide.

The movement also condemned the underage voting during the last
Saturday Local Government elections in Kano State.

The movement said it was deeply and genuinely concerned that if
necessary actions were not taken to remedy deficiencies plaguing
the electoral process, it would be difficult to eradicate
voter-apathy and disenfranchisement, and even more difficult to
sustain the democracy.

Other speakers were Conveners of Concerned Nigerians, Deji
Adeyanju; OurMumuDonDo, Raphael Adebayo; Coalition in Defence of
Nigerian Democracy, Ariyo Dare Atoye; as well as Campaign for
Democracy; Bako Abdul Usman and MAD Connect, Moses Paul.

They were received by a senior police officer, Paul Odama and
Assistant Director, Security Directorate of INEC, Muse Sekpe, who
led their representatives into the premises to personally submit
the protest letter.

While expressing the readiness of the movement to partner with
INEC to galvanise the Continuous Voter’s Registration Exercise,
Oputa said the group came to register its displeasure with the
entire process.

He said if the commission failed to address the issues raised in
their letter and reply within two weeks, the movement would begin
its daily-sit-out at the front of INEC office.

Oputa said after series of meticulous observations of the
electoral process and interface with voters across the nation,
deems it to engage the commission on what the movement has
discovered so far.

“While we commend INEC on some giant stride it has recorded
since its formation, and space it is giving to dialogue this period
on how to improve our electoral process, the movement wishes to
engage the commission on the following challenges encumbering mass
participation of the Nigerian people in the electoral process.

“The challenge of voters’ registration in different parts of the
country, especially with regards to the unavailability of required
registration centres in most of the states in Nigeria.

“The challenge of voters’ apathy and disenfranchisement as a
result of the longtime practice of rigidity in the electoral
process. The challenge of conspicuous deficiencies with regards to
electronic voting, the compilation of results, and accurate
documentation and reportage of the number of voters nationwide.

Adeyanju, while speaking, therefore, took a swipe at the just
concluded Local Government election in Kano State where adolescent
age participated actively during the election.