CDD Urges INEC to Fix Voter Registration Gaps

.… Wants Security Boost Before Anambra Poll

By Oluronke Kuku

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The Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD – West Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to move quickly, to fix all the registration gaps and correct all flaws discovered during the July 2025 Continuous Voter Registration exercise ahead of Saturday’s election in Anambra State.

The International Election Observer Group also emphasized the need for the election security apparatus to be enhanced and boosted before the Saturday Anambra State governorship. 

In a new report released in Abuja, the CDD demanded that INEC should carry out its standardise registration procedures, strengthen security presence, and improve accessibility for persons with disabilities and elderly voters ahead of the election day.

“Addressing the above gaps is essential for safeguarding the integrity of the upcoming election and restoring citizens’ trust in the process,” the report stressed.

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CDD field observers who monitored the registration across Anambra’s 21 local governments areas found that while the biometric capture worked in roughly 63 percent of centres, procedures were often inconsistent and open to abuse.

In more than half of the locations visited, INEC officials failed to properly verify age and identity, allowing under-age registrants to slip through in areas such as Orumba North and Idemili South.

CDD revealed that only 40 percent of centres made provisions for people with disabilities or senior citizens. 

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It revealed that several LGAs, influential individuals and party agents bypassed queues or were registered privately behind closed doors.

The report described security coverage as alarmingly thin, noting that just 31 percent of registration sites had visible police or civil-defence officers on duty. 

It added, that, in volatile Council like Ihiala and Ogbaru, local vigilantes stood in for formal security, but “their presence was largely symbolic,” the study observed.

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CDD warned that the absence of uniformed officers could embolden political thugs and discourage ordinary citizens from showing up on election day. 

Observers also reported poor signage and inadequate voter education at many centres.

First-time voters often arrived without required documents, while others lacked information on eligibility or transfer procedures.

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Despite the chaos, 58 percent of registrants described themselves as “satisfied” — a sentiment CDD says reflected relief rather than confidence. 

“People were simply happy to get registered after hours in the sun,” a youth monitor in Ogbaru told reporters. 

“They endured confusion because they feared missing their only chance to vote.”

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The CDD’s Six-Point action plan were; strict age and ID checks at every registration and polling centre, priority queues and assistive staff for PWDs and the elderly, early testing and deployment of all biometric equipment, visible security presence in every ward, especially high-risk LGAs, investigation and sanction of favouritism or queue-jumping and also, mass voter-education drive via radio, flyers, social media, and town-hall meetings.

The CVR findings echo warnings from two other recent CDD publications — the Anambra Information Ecosystem Report and the Anambra Election Background Paper — which reveal that false information and weak public trust are already poisoning the political climate.

From Facebook posts to church-group WhatsApp messages, CDD documented seven major disinformation trends: fabricated claims of INEC bias, manipulated endorsements linked to Peter Obi, and sectarian messages exploiting the Anglican–Catholic divide.

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The reports also flagged gendered attacks on women politicians, including Senator Uche Ekwunife, who has repeatedly faced online smear campaigns.

Combined with widespread insecurity and low youth information literacy, analysts warn, these trends could depress voter turnout and fuel post-election tension.

CDD’s Director of Research, Dr Lassane Ouedraogo, said the organisation’s findings should serve as a wake-up call for both INEC and political actors. “This election is not only about counting votes,” he said. “It is about rebuilding the public’s faith that the process is fair, that information is truthful, and that every citizen — young or old, male or female, able or disabled — has an equal chance to participate.”

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As Anambra heads to the polls, the message from CDD’s trilogy of reports is unmistakable: Democracy can only stand on a foundation of truth, transparency, and inclusion. “The ballot can only be trusted when the truth can be trusted.” — CDD–West Africa.

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