The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, recently announced that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) numbering about 3 million people would vote in the 2023 general elections.
Driving the news
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu stated that a reconsideration of the IDPs is overdue since the last review and validation in 2018. Prof Yakubu Mahmoud stated that the policy would ensure the commissions allow all eligible Nigerians the opportunity to exercise their franchise irrespective of their unique situation.
- According to him, the policy aligns “the framework with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, specifically Section 24(1) which empowers the Commission to ensure that, as far as practicable, no Nigerian is disenfranchised on account of displacement by emergencies. Finally, to align the framework with the national policy on internally displaced persons 2021.”
What they are saying
At the stakeholders’ meeting, INEC chairman, explained that an increase in internally displaced persons in the country, was because of widespread insecurity, natural emergencies such as flooding.
What you should know
As of 3rd May 2022, the top five countries with the highest IDPs include Ukraine with (8million), Syria (7.6 million), Ethiopia (5.5 million), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5.2 million), Colombia (4.9 million).
Nigeria has an increased number of IDPs, from 2.730 million in 2020 to over 3.2 million persons as of 2021.
It is unsure whether the displaced persons registered in the continuous voters’ registration exercise or what provisions INEC has for these unique persons.