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INEC Register Controversy: ‘I Don’t Know How 1.5 Million Entries Were Made’ – Ex-Director.
Former Director of Voter and Publicity Education at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, has expressed concern over the discovery of 1.5 million questionable entries in the commission’s voter register.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Osaze-Uzzi argued that although INEC had reportedly removed about 1.2 million questionable records, such irregularities should not have occurred in the first place.
He raised the concerns during an interview on Arise Television, where he questioned how such a large number of questionable entries could have found their way into the voter database.
The former INEC official explained that voter registration should be a simple process, given the safeguards introduced by the commission to prevent multiple registrations and other forms of irregularity.
He noted that prospective voters are required to appear physically for registration and undergo biometric capture, making the reported number of questionable records difficult to understand.
He said, “The work ordinarily ought to be easier for the commission. The law is quite clear about who is entitled to be on the register: you’re a Nigerian citizen, you’re 18 years and above, and then you go there, and you register. It’s as simple as that.
“You must turn up physically for the registration. So it should be a straightforward, simple process. But Nigeria, being what it is, the simpler it is, the more complex things, issues, and challenges arise from those things.
“I don’t know how up to 1.5 million entries can be made in the register. You’ve heard of AI. You’ve heard of multiple registrants. That ought not to be with things that have been put in place by the commission.”
Osaze-Uzzi, however, faulted INEC for not providing adequate information about the period covered by the exercise and the process through which the questionable records were detected.
He maintained that the commission needed to explain how the entries entered its database despite its efforts to sanitise the voter register.
The former director also identified the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) as an important tool for detecting individuals who may have registered multiple times.
According to him, comparing fingerprints across different states and communities could help uncover cases of deliberate or accidental multiple registration.
He further noted that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology had reportedly acknowledged, was another issue requiring clarification.
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday received a delegation of leaders from Nigeria’s Middle Belt region at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The meeting was confirmed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, who shared photographs of the gathering on his X account.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who was part of the delegation, said the group visited to express appreciation to Tinubu and pledge their support for his re-election bid in 2027.
Dogara said the delegation acknowledged what it described as improvements in security across the Middle Belt since Tinubu assumed office, alongside other developmental gains.
“Insecurity is declining in the Middle Belt. The Abuja-Kaduna road is safer now,” he said.
He added that discussions also focused on strengthening political cooperation and mobilising support for the President within their respective communities ahead of the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, also described the growing cooperation among people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds as encouraging.
According to him, young leaders across religious and ethnic divides are increasingly engaging in conversations about the region’s future without waiting for government intervention.
“Youth leaders across the divides of faith and ethnicity are beginning to have conversations without even government support. This is quite encouraging to me that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Mutfwang said.
Other members of the delegation included Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.); Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas; and former Chiefs of Army Staff, Generals T.Y. Danjuma and Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd.).
Thomas Etuh and Dr Poju Bitrus were also among those who attended the meeting.
Barcelona captain Raphinha has reiterated his commitment to putting the club’s success ahead of personal recognition, insisting that individual awards will never take priority over the team’s interests.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The Brazilian forward made this known on November 6, a day after signing a contract extension that will keep him at the Catalan club until 2030.
Speaking in comments shared by football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on X, Raphinha said he remained focused on giving his best for Barcelona rather than pursuing individual honours.
“I will do my best for the club, not for individual awards. I have always put the interests of the club I play for first,” he stated.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, recording 15 goals in his first 10 La Liga appearances.
Raphinha also played down suggestions of rivalry with teenage Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal, saying he would be delighted to see the youngster win individual awards and achieve success with the club.
“I want him to have the best statistics and achieve everything with the club. I’d be happy if he won 10 Ballon d’Ors,” he added.
The Brazilian further expressed his ambition to spend the remainder of his football career at Barcelona, describing his contract renewal as a source of great pride after the challenges he had experienced since joining the club.
“It’s a very proud feeling. Only we know what we’ve been through internally since we arrived at the club until now with Barça. I feel very proud of everything I’ve achieved at the club, both individually and collectively,” he said.
Raphinha disclosed that he would welcome the chance to retire at Barcelona, provided he could maintain the fitness and performance levels required to compete at the highest level.
He also identified winning every available trophy, particularly the UEFA Champions League, as one of his major career ambitions.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has met with the newly appointed British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Peter Vowles.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Obi disclosed that the meeting took place on Thursday, November 5, at the High Commissioner’s Residence in Abuja, where he held discussions with the diplomat and his team.
According to the former Anambra State governor, the conversation focused on governance, the welfare of Nigerians and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Obi said he used the opportunity to urge the international community not to support any particular candidate or political party ahead of the polls.
Instead, he called on foreign partners to support Nigerians’ right to freely elect their leaders through transparent, free, fair and credible elections.
In a statement shared on his X account, Obi also congratulated the British High Commissioner and the people of the United Kingdom on the occasion of the birthday of King Charles III.
He wrote, “Today, November 5th, I had the honour of meeting with the new British High Commissioner to Nigeria and his team at the High Commissioner’s Residence in Abuja. I congratulated him and the British people on the occasion of the birthday of His Majesty King Charles III.
“Our discussions covered a wide range of issues, particularly governance, the welfare of Nigerians, and the forthcoming elections.
“I emphasised that our appeal to the international community is not for support for any particular candidate or political party. It is for something far more fundamental: the protection of the Nigerian people’s democratic right to freely choose their leaders through free, fair, transparent and credible elections.
“Democracy must be about the people, their choices and their future. I therefore encouraged the international community to continue standing with Nigerians, promoting accountability and insisting that the will of the people must prevail.”
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