EXPOSED: INEC Data reveals how 1.76 million Southern Nigerians were disenfranchised over Continuous Voter Registration
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A data analyst, Mr. Chima Christian, has revealed how the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), may have disenfranchised the Nigerian southern region of almost 1.8 million potential votes during the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise held between June 2021 to July 2022 preparatory to the 2023 general elections.
The worst hit states by voter registration invalidation include Bayelsa — 69.2%, Ebonyi — 59.8%, Ekiti — 38.8%, Rivers — 33.0%, Anambra — 30.6%, and Delta at 29.4%
According to statistics presented by Mr. Christian, there were a total 12,298,944 total registrations during the exercise.
However, out of the 2,780,756 invalid registrations, the southern region bore the brunt of 1,769,321 invalidated registrations.
In the meantime, though, the same region benefitted with only 4,169,912 valid registrations out of the 9,518,188 validated registrations.
Reacting to the sharp difference in the figures alternating between north and south regions, Christian noted that INEC may have technically tampered with the choice of ordinary Nigerians courtesy of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
He said: “I took a detailed look at the voter registration data released by INEC covering its June 2021 — July 2022 Continuous Voter Registration Exercise.
“Focusing solely on voter invalidation data, I thought I saw a pattern that was too difficult to ignore. So I compressed some of my findings in the attached infograph.
“I became even more curious when I noticed that INEC did not provide sufficiently clear invalidation guidelines nor explanations for what I thought were too organised to be mere coincidences.
“I might do a video to provide more details. For now, please lend your voice in seeking for explanations.”
In the attached infograph entitled “Analysis of voter registration data” Christian observed that the Independent National Electoral Commission conducted a nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise from 28th June, 2021, to 31st July, 2022, preparatory to the 2023 general elections.
In the analysis and key findings of the voter registration data released by INEC, North West had 2,514,273 total registrations, with only 393,603 invalid registrations at only 15.7%, a record 2,120,670 valid registrations, and a grand total of 22.1 million eligible voters.
Next on the list is South West with 2,039,982 total registrations, with only 399,608 invalid registrations at just 19.6%, 1,640,374 valid registrations, and a grand total of 17.5 million eligible voters.
North Central had 2,314,368 total registrations, with only 345,324 invalid registrations at a paltry 14.9%, a record 1,969,044 valid registrations, a total of 15 million eligible voters.
The South South region surprisingly had the second highest total registrations at 2,458,095.
That figure, however, was dealt a brutal blow with a whopping 859,165 chunked off the valid register at 35.0%(!) leaving a total of 1,598,930 valid registrations, and a grand total of 14.2 million eligible voters.
North East, with its 1,531,070 total registrations, had only 272,508 registrations invalidated at 17.8%. It then had 1,258,562 valid registrations, and a total 12.5 million eligible voters.
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South East suffered the second highest dashing blow when its 1,441,156 total registrations was slashed with 510,548 invalid registrations at an alarming 35.4%.
The state was thus left with only 930,608 new registrations 10.5 million total eligible voters.
The summary total rounded off at 12,298,944 total registrations, 2,780,756 invalid registrations at 22.6%, 9,518,188 new valid registrations, and 91.9 million total eligible voters.
Chima Christian observes:
Key Findings
• At 49.3%, the South-east and South-south combined account for nearly half of all rejected registrations.
• Other regions had an average rejection rate of 17% whereas the Southeast and South-south had an average rejection rate of 35.2%.
• South-east completed the least number of registrations yet had the highest per-centage of rejected registrations.
• At 1.5 million and 1.4 million completed registrations respectively, the North East (NE) and South East (SE) had a registration difference of about 100 thousand.
By the time the data went through the knife, SE was left with 930,000 additional voters while NE was left with 1.3 million.
SE thus became the only region with a marginal increase of less than one million voters.
Same scenario played out when South South numbers are compared to that of the North Central or North West.
• States most affected by voter invalidation are disproportionately in the southern regions while the least affected states are in the northern regions.
INEC did not provide clear invalidation guidelines nor explanations for the “coincidence.” Read more.
See the attached infograph below:
Still raising doubts in the disparity witnessed in the geographic distribution of invalid registrations, Christian further observed that it could hardly bother on competence.
In an attached memo sent to News Band, he said: “I don’t think the disparity witnessed in the geographic distribution of invalid registrations bother on competence.
“If we are to reduce it to incompetence, then it will mean that INEC in the North is more competent than INEC in the South.
“That conclusion, in itself, will be tragic!”
INEC is yet to proffer an explanation to the alarming disparity when News Band presented the report before it as at publication time.
