IDPS Prisoners And Voting Rights For 2015 General Elections

By Abdullahi Garba Birnin-Kudu
The 2015 general elections is one that will put to test Nigeria’s electoral laws as efforts are being made for prisoners and Internally displaced persons to exercise their franchise. Against this backdrop, Our Correspondent takes a look at the unfolding situation and how it will enhance popular participation in the Nation’s Electoral .The Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday in Abuja said it had raised a task force on how to get the Internally Displaced Persons in areas ravaged by Boko Haram insurgents to vote in the general elections in February 2015. The team, which has a National Commissioner in INEC, Mrs. Thelma Iremiren, as its chairperson, also consists of nine other members, including the Resident Electoral Commissioners of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa  States.Moreover  The National Human Rights Commission has decried the rising level of internal displacement of persons in the North-East region of the country due to insurgent activities.The commission said the incident was putting the rights of the persons to vote at risk. It said that everything must be done to ensure that they were not disenfranchised.