Why Accurate Population Data Is Important For Constituency Delimitation, By INEC Chairman

Speaking during a courtesy visit by top officials of the National Population Commission (NPC), led by their Chairman, Alhaji Nasir Isa Kwarra to the INEC headquarters in Abuja at the weekend, Prof Yakubu explained that while it was the Commission’s  responsibility to review the division of the States into Senatorial Districts, Federal and State Constituencies as well as Wards in the Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the absence of accurate population data had been partly responsible for its inability to delimit constituencies in Nigeria since 1996.

According to him, INEC has the mandate to undertake the activity at an interval of not less than 10 years,when States are created through an Act of the National Assembly or when a population census is conducted. He noted that the NPC is required to, among others, periodically undertake the enumeration of Nigeriansthrough census and  provide information and data on the country’s population to facilitate national planning and economic development.

His words: I am glad to report that over the years, the two Commissions have embarked on one of the most imaginative and extensive inter-agency collaborations in Nigeria in the area of delimitation of boundaries of electoral constituencies. Over the years, the two Commissions undertook a joint project to demarcate the boundaries of INEC’s Registration Area/Wards (RAs) with NPC’s Enumeration Areas  (EAs). This initiative is known as the RA/EAD Project.”

He continued: “The idea is to enable INEC to easily delimit and periodically review Electoral Constituencies based on NPC’s figures whenever there is a new population census. This cannot be achieved without accurate population data. This is partly why no constituencies have been delimited in Nigeria since the last exercise was carried out 25 years ago in 1996 by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON). Working together with the Population Commission, we are determined to make a difference this time around, just as we solved the problem of voter access to Polling Units in Nigeria. We have already prepared and produced a Discussion Paper on Electoral Constituencies in Nigeria, looking at the issues more broadly, including the imperative of a new population census. We will share copies of the Paper with the NPC at this meeting”.

Prof. Yakubu observed that so far, both Commissions have jointly covered 261 LGAs within the framework of the RA/EAD, while the NPC has covered more LGAs. “Going forward, we are finalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will be signed very soon,” he said. “In the MoU, we have clearly defined the scope and duration of our collaboration as well as the responsibilities of the two Commissions. I want to reassure the NPC that we shall continue to strengthen our existing collaborations.”

The INEC Chairman also told the visitors that the Commission had been periodically cleaning up the National Register of Voters. However, he said INEC was interested in how the NPC could provide it with data to enhance the register’s credibility further. 

His words: “Of immediate interest to INEC is how the NPC can provide data that will assist us in further enhancing the credibility of the National Register of Voters. We are happy that today, INEC has the largest biometric register of citizens in Nigeria, complete with photographs and fingerprint information for voter authentication. We have also introduced facial biometric authentication of voters, successfully piloted in the recent bye-election in Isoko South 1 State Constituency in Delta State.