UYI Champion voting rights for Security Personnel, Inmates and others
UYI Champion voting rights for Security Personnel, Inmates and others
The Unemployed Youth Initiative (UYI) has expressed strong criticism regarding the exclusion of security personnel, prison inmates, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, and workers from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from exercising their voting rights on election day in Nigeria.
The organization argues that this exclusion constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights, effectively disenfranchising these groups from their civic duties.
Typically, INEC staff, security personnel, and youth corps members are assigned to election duties, preventing them from participating in the voting process themselves. UYI’s Convener, Comrade Danesi Momoh, emphasized at a news conference in Abuja that this disenfranchisement of crucial segments of the populace warrants immediate attention.
Despite Nigeria’s stated commitment to democratic values, UYI highlighted that the existing electoral framework continues to marginalize essential citizens, thereby compromising the integrity, inclusiveness, and fairness of elections. The group raised concerns about why those responsible for maintaining electoral order, who are often denied the right to vote, are essential to the election process.
Furthermore, UYI criticized the absence of provisions for out-of-station voting, which silences the voices of numerous young Nigerians who are eager to shape the future of their nation. They noted, “It is ironic that personnel tasked with conducting fair and credible elections are themselves unable to vote. Election workers, both permanent and temporary, find themselves stationed away from their polling units during elections.”
Highlighting a discrepancy with practices in other democracies, where special voting accommodations are made for election workers, UYI underscored that Nigeria’s system denies these individuals their fundamental voting rights, raising further doubts about the fairness of the electoral process.
The group also brought attention to the plight of prison inmates, emphasizing that their exclusion from voting is a glaring violation of constitutional rights. They referenced a 2014 court ruling affirming inmates’ voting rights, noting that INEC and relevant authorities have yet to implement this ruling, resulting in thousands of eligible voters remaining disenfranchised.
UYI condemned this systematic neglect, reinforcing discrimination against incarcerated individuals, many of whom have not been convicted but are caught in prolonged pre-trial detention.
