The Independent National Electoral Commission in Osun State on Tuesday said its team visited the YTD Grammar School, Ede, to warn the school of furure consequences of underage students showing up for registration of Permanent Voter Cards.
InsightMedia recalled that the Commission on Monday confirmed the presence of underage secondary school students at its registration centre in Ede North local government area but it refused to register them.
Giving an update on Tuesday, Musa Olurode, the public relations officer of INEC in Osun State, said a fact-finding team of the commission visited the school where the Vice Principal confirmed that the students in the viral picture were from the school.
Olurode said the team warned the school management of consequences if the act repeats itself in future.
The statement reads, “As part of its internal verification process, a fact-finding team from INEC Osun State visited YTD Grammar School, Ojoro, Ede, where the affected students were reported to have been mobilized from. The team met with the Vice Principal of the school while the Principal was not on seat. During the engagement, the Vice Principal confirmed that the students involved were indeed students of the school, but stated that the school authorities were initially unaware of the incident until they became aware of the circulating Facebook post.
“The Vice Principal expressed regret over the incident and assured the Commission that appropriate measures have been put in place to prevent any recurrence. He further informed the INEC team that the matter has been formally reported to the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) Osun State and the Osun State Ministry of Education for necessary administrative action.
“The INEC team, acting in line with the Commission’s standard operating procedures, advised the school management on the legal requirements and implications relating to voter registration, emphasizing that only Nigerian citizens who have attained the age of 18 years are eligible to be registered as voters, as provided for in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022. The team further stressed that any future infraction will be addressed strictly in accordance with extant laws and INEC guidelines.
“INEC wishes to reassure the good people of Osun State that the Commission in the State, under the leadership of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, will not condone any act capable of undermining the integrity, credibility, and transparency of the voter registration process. The Commission remains firm in enforcing all constitutional and statutory provisions governing voter registration.”
The Commission said it remains committed to professionalism and electoral integrity.
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