INEC charges law firm N1.5bn to print voter register after FOI request

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) charged V-C Ottaokpukpu & Associates, a law firm, N1,505,901,750 to print copies of the national register of voters and polling units across the country.

The letter from the commission, dated October 13, began circulating on Wednesday.

Vincent Otaokpukpu, principal associate and chief counsel of the firm, confirmed receipt of the letter to TheCable on Thursday morning.

According to the letter, Otaokpukpu wrote to the commission on October 8, requesting certified true copies of register of voters and all existing polling units in all electoral wards in Nigeria. Otaokpukpu made the application under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011.

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Rose Oriaran-Anthony, secretary to the commission, responded to the lawyer’s request in a letter.

“The Commission has approved your request for a copy of the National Register of Voters for the entire country and the existing polling Units in all the Electoral Wards in Nigeria pursuant to section 15 of the Electoral Act 2022,” the letter reads.

“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) being the cost of production of the above.

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“Kindly pay the said amount into INEC Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) (www.remita.com) and present the proof of payment (e-receipt) in order to proceed with your request.”

Otaokpukpu told TheCable the request was legally wrong.

INEC did not address the letter’s authenticity when TheCable contacted the commission.

“We will put out a statement,” an INEC official said after TheCable pressed for a response. [TheCable]