NIN not Compulsory For Votersâ€™ Registration – INEC

By theGazetteNGR

Editorinchief

Posted: April 2, 2021 at 9:42 AM, Updated: September 21, 2022 at 7:44 AM

We canâ€™t single that out and make it mandatory

Electoral Act accepts birth certificates, national passports, and national identity cards as documents for voter registration
NIN is an option for verifying age, identity, and nationality, and it
cannot be made mandatory
We canâ€™t single that out and make it mandatory – INEC Chairman

The use of the National Identification Number for Continuous Voters’ Registration would not be allowed, according to Mahmoud Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Electoral Act accepts birth certificates, national passports, and national identity cards as documents for voter registration, he told journalists at a press conference.

According to him, the National Identification Number (NIN) is one of several options available to Nigerians for verifying their age, identity, and nationality, and it cannot be made mandatory.

â€œThe NIN is not going to be mandatory for the simple reason that we are operating on the basis of the law establishing INEC. Section 10 of the Electoral Act lists the means of identification to be presented by prospective registrants for the purpose of registration.

â€œThese includes, birth certificate, national passport, national identity card, or any other document that will prove the identity, age, and nationality of the applicants. The NIN is only one of the means of identification provided for under section 10 (2) of the Electoral Act.

â€œWe canâ€™t single that out and make it mandatory. All the other requirements are requirements of the law and we must apply the law equally. Yes, if you have your national ID card, you can present it during registration but we will not make it mandatory means of identification for the exercise.â€

According to Yakubu, the registration process will last for more than a year, until the third quarter of 2022.

The commission announced earlier this year that the exercise would begin in the first quarter of 2021.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a breaking news tip, celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the theGazetteNGR entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 08051600130 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.