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The Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday that it finds no
reason to doubt the number of registered voters which it certified last
month, as criticisms continue to trail the figures few days to the
start of the election.

Opposition parties
have criticised the final number of registered voters released by the
commission last month. They have also expressed concerns over the
credibility of the polls.

But the electoral
body insists that the current total number of voters across the country
stands at 73,528,040 – which was the final figure it released last
month – beating earlier projections that put the figure tentatively at
67,664,384.

After discounting
for double registration, which the commission finally admitted stood at
870,612,some critics have said the total declared figure should have
dropped instead of increasing. Again, the commission has been derided
for two distinct cases concerning Niger State where, in spite of
recording the highest duplicates, experienced the widest leap between
the provisional figure and the final one – more than one million – and
Osun State, which has 14,762 cases of double registration and still has
the same provisional and final figure.

The Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN) denounced the figures, saying its analysis does not
conform to the details given by the electoral body.

“We are very
uncomfortable with those figures and until INEC comes up with rational
explanations about those figures, then there is cause for serious
concern,” Lai Mohammed, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACN
told NEXT days after the figures were published. The party has
maintained its opposition to the data after.

Standing by its figures

INEC yesterday said
it stands by its earlier explanations concerning the figures and
insisted that the data were “credible” and do not foretell questionable
elections.

“I don’t know the
basis for their argument,” said Kayode Idowu, the spokesperson to the
chairman of the commission, Attahiru Jega. “The register has been
certified by INEC and we have explained severally the reason for the
differences. The register is credible. It provides a credible basis for
the elections.

“We have said that
at the time we provided the first figures, the figures were
inconclusive. We were working under pressure and our staff just sent
what they had at that time. The software was run at the state level and
not the federal level.”

New Director for Oyo INEC office

Meanwhile, the
national headquarters of the commission has deployed a director to take
over the data bank management of its Oyo State office.

The action followed
the arrest of Yinka Osuola, head of ICT in the Oyo State office, who
was caught for alleged possession of DDC machines in company of some
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members last weekend.

Ayodele Folami, Oyo
INEC’s head of public affairs, confirmed the deployment of the
director, but said he was not privy to the specific mandate he was
given from Abuja.

Meanwhile, the REC
of Oyo State, Ayo Adekeja was not seen within the premises as he was
said to have been summoned to Abuja for explanation on last week’s
recovery of the DDC machines.

NEXT also gathered that five other members of staff of the state INEC allegedly involved in the ‘deal’ had been apprehended.

The commission was
to hold a briefing with journalists on Tuesday, but the public affairs
officer had to call it off for undisclosed reasons.

ACN on Tuesday, called for complete overhaul of the staff strength
of the Oyo State INEC, while Rasheed Ladoja, former governor of the
state and governorship candidate of the Accord Party, added his voice
to the call for immediate redeployment of Mr Adekeja.