The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) have initiated discussions on extending voting rights to inmates in correctional facilities.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, received a courtesy visit from NCoS Controller General, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, where they explored the possibility of granting inmates the right to vote.
The discussion follows a court ruling and a National Assembly resolution supporting the voting rights of inmates.
The INEC Chairman expressed the Commission’s commitment to working with the NCoS to address the technical aspects of implementing inmate voting.
Speaking earlier, the NCoS CG, emphasized the need to extend some of the rights that are also granted to people in an open society to the inmates, saying the prison is an open – ended society.
“The inmates of this great nation, I represent them as the Controller General, over 81,000 of them, of which over 66% are awaiting trial persons who are presumed innocent but until proven guilty. Even while as convicts or awaiting trial persons, they do have rights.
“And part of those rights is why I’m here this morning to discuss with the INEC Chairman to see how we can, if possible, extend some of these rights to these inmates. And this right is about voting rights”, he said.
Spark News Naija reports that the meeting aimed to identify the necessary steps to make voting accessible to inmates, who are citizens with inalienable rights.