The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, says the commission is considering granting prison inmates the opportunity to vote in future elections.
Speaking on Friday while receiving the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Nwakuche, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Yakubu affirmed the Appeal Court’s judgment recognising inmates’ right to register and vote.
He recalled previous engagements between INEC and the NCoS to develop modalities for accommodating eligible inmates, including granting access to registration and voting facilities, as well as addressing concerns raised by political parties.
Yakubu stressed the importance of seeking the National Assembly’s intervention to strengthen the legal framework for the initiative.
He assured the NCoS of INEC’s readiness to work within existing laws to ensure inmates’ voting rights are upheld.
