Registration is a critical enabler to giving everyone a chance to have their say. This means knowing exactly who is entitled to vote and making sure that they have a chance to mark their ballot paper themselves. It also places a responsibility on every eligible citizen to respect that right and register their intention to vote.

There are many ways that the system can be compromised in this phase and the better the administration of the process the more secure it will be. Ballot papers are not commodities for sale and motivation or incentive to treat them as such should be removed. In turn this means raising the right degree of awareness across a highly diverse electorate and encouraging them to take this responsibility – while at the same time plugging the gaps in the system that make it possible.

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“A series of delays and false starts undermined the voter registration process. Unable to launch voter registration in January 2006 as planned, INEC eventually began a ‘pilot’ voter registration exercise in the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) in May.”

“The lack of publicity about the voter registration process caused confusion among prospective voters. INEC rotated machines between offi ces and was not able to operate all registration centers. Many people traveled considerable distances to register, but as more registration centres became operative closer to their homes, some of the same individuals re-registered so as to avoid traveling long distances on Election day. In Nigeria, voters must vote where they have registered. In response to this development, INEC announced it would eliminate double registrations, thereby denying the voter any chance to cast a ballot at all.”