2015 Elections: Internally Displaced Persons Will Vote
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has assured people in the North-East that they will participate in the 2015 general elections.
Jega said this at a meeting with stakeholders on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the 2015 elections at Sandralia Hotel, Abuja, organised by INEC and International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), with support from USAID and the UK’s DFID.
The assurance came on the call by civil organisations and prominent Nigerians not to disenfranchise the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), but to respect their civic rights by making adequate provisions for them to participate in the coming elections.
Lawmaker Seeks To Amend Electoral Act To Accommodate IDPs
Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, at the upper arm of the legislative chamber has proposed a bill to amend the Electoral Act to allow Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to participate in the 2015 general elections.
The bill aims to make provisions for the displaced people from Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states, by establishing polling units where they will participate in the coming elections apart from their previous registration units.
It also seeks amendment of Section 42 of the Principal Act by inserting new Sub-clause 42 (2), which states that “the commission shall establish polling units for Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) in their respective camps nationwide.”
The bill, which scaled first reading in the Senate yesterday, will be cited as the Electoral Act, 2010 (Amendment) Bill, 2014.
