The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, in the 2027 general elections, High Chief Benjamin Eze, has commended INEC for the clean-up of the voters’ register, although he swiftly emphasised that the removal of 1.6 million invalid entries will mean little or nothing unless votes are protected on election days.
Commenting on the clean-up exercise in a statement made available to the press in Enugu on Tuesday, Eze acknowledged the removal of invalid registrations and the identification of 54 compromised staff but insisted that Nigerians are used to such promises.
“Cleaning the register is good, but it is only the first step. What Nigerians want to see is a clean register, a transparent process, and results that truly reflect the will of the people,” he maintained.
Eze 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.
He said: “INEC must not only remove ghost names, but 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.”
The House of Reps hopeful 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 smokescreen, a sort of public relations stuff.
Eze said: “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.”
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.
Eze also pleaded with 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.
According to him, “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.”
