INEC has billed a law firm N1.5 billion for copies of Nigeria’s national voter register and polling units following a Freedom of Information request.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has charged a law firm, V-C Ottaokpukpu & Associates, N1,505,901,750 for printing certified true copies of the national register of voters and polling units nationwide.
A letter from the commission dated October 13 confirmed the cost after the firm, through its principal associate, Vincent Otaokpukpu, applied for the documents on October 8 under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011. INEC’s secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, stated, “The Commission has approved your request for a copy of the National Register of Voters for the entire country… You are hereby requested to pay the sum of One Billion, Five Hundred and Five Million, Nine Hundred and One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira only (N1,505,901,750).” Otaokpukpu told TheCable that the demand was legally wrong. When contacted, an INEC official declined to confirm the letter’s authenticity, saying, “We will put out a statement.”