The Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organisation (CAPIO) says the organisation will continue to work with necessary stakeholders to ensure inmates in custodial centres exercise their rights to vote in Nigeria.
Rev. Father Jude Isiguzo, the Executive Director of CAPIO, said this during the one-day validation workshop on the draft framework on inmates voting in Nigeria, on Thursday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by CAPIO in collaboration with Independent National Electoral Commission (lNEC) and supported by VOICE Nigeria.
Isiguzo said that CAPIO, established about 32 years ago as a Human Rights organisation had continued relentlessly to advocate for the human rights of inmates and reforms in Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
He commended the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for all the efforts made to ensure that the human rights of those incarcerated were respected.
He affirmed that efforts have been put in place, in the past, to draft a framework that would enable inmates in the custodial centres across the country to vote during state and national elections.
He also said that the effort came, following the ruling by a federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, in 2014, that Nigerian inmates have the right to vote.
He added that the ruling was as a result of the application brought before the High Court by five inmates representing all inmates in Nigerian custodial centres.
According to him, this ruling did not take effect in 2015 general elections. Again in 2019, an Appeal court ruled in favour of the same five inmates seeking an order directing INEC to include all inmates in the voters’ roll.
He said, “INEC subsequently made arrangements with Nigerian Correctional Service to enable all the inmates to vote in the February 2019 general elections.
According to him, in order to build on this edifice of successes in the correctional sector, CAPIO commenced a project that will benefit, not only inmates in the custodial centres and the NCoS but also Nigeria as a country.
“This project titled Pollrite23 is implemented by CAPIO with funding from VOICE Nigeria. The Pollrite 23 project aims to facilitate civic engagement among communities with low voters’ turnout, including inmates in Nigeria.
“This, in which will help enforce the electoral right of inmates, create awareness, and an enabling environment for inmates to vote. This project started since 2021.
“The aim of this workshop is for all the stakeholders to check, correct and prove the validity or accuracy of the proposed draft Electoral Framework for Inmates’ Voting.
“We will continue to work with INEC and other stakeholders to ensure that inmates in custodial centres exercise their rights to vote.
“Posterity will remember that it was during the tenure of the Chairman of INEC, and other stakeholders involved that inmates begin to vote in national elections, “he said.
Isiguzo said that CAPIO’s interventions had focused on the provision of basic needs of inmates.
This, he said included free legal and medical services and rehabilitation of inmates; in cooperation with the government and other human rights organisations.
Speaking, the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu commended CAPIO for its persistent effort to ensure inmates were fully cooperated into the electoral process in Nigeria.
Yakubu, who was represented by his Special Assistant, Prof. Mohammed Kuna said that the commission was committed to ensuring that inmates were given right to vote.
“This is what is happening around the world and therefore, as a country, we do not have to be different, “he said.
Also, the NCoS Controller General, Mr Haliru Nababa also commended CAPIO for the good work concerning inmates’ right to vote in Nigeria.
Nababa, who was represented by Controller of Corrections (CC) in charge of operations, Mr Usman Ibrahim assured the commitment of the service to ensuring that inmates were given opportunities to vote.
“This is something we have been eagerly waiting for and we are happy that the project has gone far. We are excited about it, “he said.
