By G9ija
Remmy Hazzan, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, has voiced his dissatisfaction with the voter register used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2023 general election.
Hazzan, who serves as the Senior Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Public Communications, expressed concern that the INEC voter register still contained the names of deceased individuals who had not been removed from the list of registered voters.
Hazzan made these comments immediately after voting at polling unit six, ward 14 in the Omu area of Odogbolu Local Government, Ogun State.
He pointed out that INEC was using the same voter register that was first established in 1999 and urged the commission to conduct a complete overhaul of the voters’ registration process.
Hazzan emphasized the need for INEC to ensure that the voter register is accurate, up-to-date, and free from any irregularities.
Hazzan, however, insisted that the failure of INEC to remove names of dead people from the list contributed to reported voter apathy.
He said, “In this election and in this particular unit, we have the highest number of turnout, but if you check in relation with the voters’ register, you will see that there is voters’ apathy because some people on the list are dead.
“My father is in that register and he died about eight years ago. He hasn’t been removed from the register. So, INEC should have a working plan on how to get notified when voters have died so that they can take them off effectively.
“I will advocate that at the earliest convenience time, INEC should reprocess the entire voters’ registration.
“In that register, you have many dead people who were yet to be taken off from the register. In that register, you had ghost voters who were registered at that time biometrics was not in a condition to register.
“Building on that register using it as a measure for voter turnout, I am not comfortable with that.”