Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Yakubu Mahmood, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced that the commission will permit prison inmates to vote.
Yakubu made the disclosure on Friday, August 8, while receiving the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Sylvester Nwakuche, at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.
He reaffirmed the recent Appeal Court ruling that grants inmates the right to register and vote in elections. Yakubu noted that INEC has held several meetings with the Nigeria Correctional Service to develop practical arrangements for facilitating inmate voting, including access to correctional facilities, addressing political parties’ concerns, and clarifying which categories of inmates are covered by the judgement.
The INEC chairman also emphasized the importance of involving the National Assembly to ensure the smooth implementation of these measures.
Yakubu assured the Correctional Service of INEC’s commitment to allowing inmates to exercise their voting rights in compliance with existing laws.
The comments followed a request from Comptroller General Nwakuche for the electoral body to extend voting rights to inmates, especially those awaiting trial.
Nwakuche revealed that Nigeria has over 81,000 inmates in correctional facilities nationwide, with approximately 66 percent awaiting trial. He also cited the recent court ruling affirming the voting rights of inmates, particularly pre-trial detainees.
