Extend voters registration exercise or risk court action – SERAP tells INEC

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to extend the deadline for the ongoing voters’ registration exercise or risk court action.

The frontline rights group stated this in a Facebook post on Saturday few hours after the electoral body extended the deadline for political parties to conclude their primary elections by a week.

in a statement issued on Friday by Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner in charge of information and voter education, the commission extended the deadline from June 10 to June 17.

The commission hinged its decision on a request by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).

Reacting, SERAP called on INEC to extend the same courtesy to the voters’ registration exercise which is scheduled to end on May 30.

“Following the extension of party primaries’ deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), we call on the body to immediately extend voters’ registration exercise to ALSO give more time for Nigerians to exercise their rights.

“We’ll sue INEC if voters’ registration is not immediately extended,” SERAP said.