[size=15pt]Aliyu faults INEC voters’ figure in Niger State[/size]

Wednesday, 23 February 2011 00:00 From John Ogiji, Minna News - National




WITH barely 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the provisional figure for the just concluded voters’ registration in the country, Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu has faulted the figures credited to the state.
The governor, who made the position of the government known through the Director-General (DG) Media and Publicity, Mallam Bala Abdulkadir, insisted that with the level of mobilisation of its people by the government, it was difficult to accept the figure credited to the state.

The director-general while addressing reporters in Minna yesterday maintained that it was unthinkable that only 721,478 people out of the over four million population of the state registered during the exercise.

The figure, he argued, is below the 2.44 million the government claimed to have collated at all the polling unit levels across the state during the exercise, adding that “we are disputing the figures, because on our collation, the figures which was compiled at all polling unit levels, put register-able adults in Niger State at 2.44 million.”

Abdulkadir regretted that rather than the figure of registered voters in the state to increase from the 1.5 million voters that were recorded in 2007, the state is experiencing a decline, pointing out that “we believe INEC has made a mistake either in the computation of figure or there was computer error.”

According to him: “This figure is ridiculous and unacceptable to the government and people of the state. We made bold to say that we reject it and we are therefore calling on INEC to compile the figure thoroughly and properly.”

All efforts to get the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Emmanuel Onucheyo, to react to the protest from the government proved abortive, as the INEC boss could not pick his calls but the commission’s spokesman, Abdulmalik Wase, however told The Guardian that the commission in the state could not comment on the issue as it was beyond it powers.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39455:aliyu-faults-inec-voters-figure-in-niger-state&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Who here has been to Niger State? Or at least the major cities thereof?

Does it really have 4 million people in it?

Does Minna feel like a city of 300k+ people?

very interesting times

eku_bear: Who here has been to Niger State? Or at least the major cities thereof?

Does it really have 4 million people in it?

Does Minna feel like a city of 300k+ people?

I am conversant with practically all the states in Nigeria. I can tell you without flinching that we have a serious case of ghost voters up North.
Dude, you can travel for long periods and only encounter the odd hamlet (and I mean hamlet)

I believe Niger state can boast 2 or 3 million, their falsification is relatively minor. The major lies begin from Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri etc, they are all vast expanses of empty space.

Beaf:



I am conversant with practically all the states in Nigeria. I can tell you without flinching that we have a serious case of ghost voters up North.
Dude, you can travel for long periods and only encounter the odd hamlet (and I mean hamlet)

I believe Niger state can boast 2 or 3 million, their falsification is relatively minor. The major lies begin from Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri etc, they are all vast expanses of empty space.

The more I look at this demographic data on Nigeria, the more I become one of those "one Nigeria" guys.

Things make more sense now. . . why Murtala Muhammed wanted to secede after the counter-coup, why they shed so much blood in the North. In essence, they are vastly outnumbered. Northern Nigeria is much less populated than officially claimed.

Also explains why largely these Northern people aren't as virulently against their leaders as one would otherwise think.

Very interesting country, Nigeria.

Beaf:



I am conversant with practically all the states in Nigeria. I can tell you without flinching that we have a serious case of ghost voters up North.
Dude, you can travel for long periods and only encounter the odd hamlet (and I mean hamlet)

I believe Niger state can boast 2 or 3 million, their falsification is relatively minor. The major lies begin from Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri etc, they are all vast expanses of empty space.

Nigeria's population is about 85 Million and that 150 Million is one big farce.