On Wednesday, some stakeholders in the justice sector urged the National Assembly to include the right of inmates to vote in the proposed review of the Electoral Act.

The stakeholders made the call at a roundtable in Abuja on the reform of custodial centres organised by Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organisation (CAPIO) in collaboration with YIAGA Africa and Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

Jude Isiguzo, the executive director of CAPIO, said there was no legal inhibition to granting the right as a court had ruled on the matter since 2014.

According to Mr Isiguzo, awaiting trial inmates also have voting rights.

“There is also no legal or constitutional provision against the participation of these persons from voting during elections in Nigeria. It is necessary that we take a leaf from some of the African countries where inmates in custodial centres vote in national elections.

“In South Africa, for example, election officers have visited correctional centres across their country to register over 100,000 inmates to vote in this year’s national election.

“In Zambia and Kenya, inmates vote in their national elections. These are just some of the African countries that uphold the rights of adult citizens to vote in their national elections,” he added.

Mr Isiguzo also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to lead the revalidation of the draft framework on inmate voting.

He also solicited the support of the INEC to work with the National Assembly to capture inmates in the voting process.

“We request the two chambers of the National Assembly to graciously capture inmates voting in Nigerian general elections in the reform of the electoral act being expected.

“We also request the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to write to INEC on their readiness to have inmates registered and also for polling units to be established in the correctional centres,” he said.

Adebayo Balogun, chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, believed inmates who were not convicted should be allowed to vote in general elections.

“I believe that inmates who are not convicted have the right to vote during the national election. We will support this and we will ensure this comes to be,” he stated.

INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu said the electoral body had been making efforts since 2015 to get inmates to vote.

Mr Yakubu said, “We will put heads together and ensure this happens in Nigeria. I can see clearly that by 2027, inmates will vote in Nigeria.”

(NAN)