US embassy cable - 02ABUJA2739

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002739 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2012 
TAGS: PGOV, SOCI, KDEM, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA:  INEC CLOSES REGISTRATION; MANY UNABLE TO 
VOTE 
 
 
REF: A. ABUJA 2675 
     B. ABUJA 2720 
 
 
Classified by DCM Timothy D. Andrews.  Reasons 1.5 (B & D). 
 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY: INEC wrapped up the ten-day (plus one) 
voter registration period without resolving the most 
important complaint against the exercise: an inadequate 
supply of registration materials resulting in the 
disenfranchisement of roughly half of Nigeria's eligible 
voters.  On September 21, the last day of registration, 
EmbOffs traveled outside Abuja to witness firsthand the 
paucity of materials and the swarms of frustrated 
potential-voters and registration officials in Kaduna, 
Nassarawa and Niger States.  There was no evidence of a 
regional, religious or geographic bias in the misconduct of 
the exercise -- incompetence seems to have been the key. 
INEC must now respond to widespread complaints that 
registration was fundamentally incomplete and to calls for 
an extension of the process. Whether this registration will 
produce a credible voters' list accepted by the general 
public will depend on the extent that INEC heeds these 
complaints.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
 
2. (U) Extending the ten-day exercise by one day, the 
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) closed 
voter registration on Sunday, September 22. Receiving a 
rush shipment of registration forms from its South African 
supplier, INEC attempted to distribute the forms throughout 
the country in the last hours of the registration period, 
using Presidential and military air assets, among others. 
Days before, INEC Chairman Dr. Abel Guobadia had stated 
emphatically that registration would not be extended. 
However, on Septmber 21, INEC Secretary Dr. Hakeem Baba- 
Ahmed announced the one-day extension to allow the newly 
arrived 2 million registration forms to be used.  The 
extension was effective in some areas, but not in others. 
 
 
3. (C) EmbOffs visited sites in Nassarawa, Kaduna and Niger 
states as well as within the Federal Capital Territory on 
September 21. Personnel at most centers visited reported 
that they did not have registration forms for between four 
and six days of the ten-day period. Registration personnel 
reported initially receiving forms for fifty percent of the 
expected turnout for each location. During the course of 
the ten-day effort, some sites sporadically received fresh 
supplies, usually only a few dozen at a time. Several 
reported receiving no further materials after the initial 
supply had been exhausted. Late that afternoon, new forms 
arrived at some sites, but in insufficient quantities to 
cover most of the prospective registrants who had been 
waiting for hours. In many areas, voters had tired of 
waiting in line. Instead, as a delivery of forms came, the 
local grapevine would spread the word and applicants would 
return to queue again.  In some centers, officials gave out 
line tickets to help preserve order and good humor. 
 
 
4. (C) In Kaduna, similar shortages were apparent in both 
the northern (Muslim) and southern (Christian) districts of 
the city. Emboffs observed fully-staffed registration 
centers standing idle for want of materials. 
Representative Florence Aya (PDP-Kaduna) declared that "one 
million new forms" would be required to complete the 
registration process in Kaduna.  In some instances, 
frustrated citizens vented their anger at INEC officials, 
but for the most part, people channeled their frustration 
in the form of harmless taunting of the INEC officials. 
There was one report of an angry would-be registrant 
opening fire on queue-jumpers at a registration center in 
Abuja (four injuries, none fatal). 
 
 
5. (C) While exact numbers are not yet available, credible 
estimates suggest fifty percent of eligible voters who 
wanted to register might have been denied the chance. The 
true figure could vary significantly, as we cannot know the 
number of citizens who could not spare the hours (sometimes 
days) required to register.  Critics continue to highlight 
INEC inefficiency (Ref B) and incompetence as the primary 
reason for serious problems with the exercise. Some also 
cite anecdotes of multiple registrations, registration of 
minors, hoarding of forms by political players, and other 
fraudulent practices.  INEC sticks by its original 
estimates that the original 70 million forms along with the 
2 million supplemental forms should have been enough to 
register every eligible voter.  Attempting to shift the 
blame from INEC's national secretariat, Baba-Ahmed 
continued to reiterate his claim that "local officials, 
politicians and fraudsters" hoarded or sold the forms. 
 
 
6. (C) COMMENT: INEC's decision to close the registration 
period without resolving the complaints about the lack of 
forms and the resultant failure to register significant 
numbers of eligible voters is troubling.  To make the 
voters list as credible and as publicly acceptable as 
possible, INEC should extend the process to allow all 
willing and eligible Nigerians to register. If INEC does 
not extend the process or waits too long to make the 
decision, the numerous complaints that INEC was incompetent 
or unprepared will turn into cries that, from the outset, 
INEC intended the registration process to be unfair. 
JETER