The Senate has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explore the possibilities of allowing Nigerians serving sentences in correctional centres to vote during general elections.

This followed the adoption of a motion by Sen. Abba Moro (PDP-Benue) at Tuesday’s plenary.

Presenting the motion, Moro said that inmates of Correctional Centres were Nigerian citizens who should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights of voting during elections.

“The Senate notes that certain human rights are inalienable and come naturally with the birth of the individual.

“One of such rights is that of citizenship, incarceration though is one of the legal grounds of depriving a person or an offender in the custody of certain rights, the right of citizenship cannot at any point be taken away.

“Citizenship as encapsulated under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) comes with many defined rights and civic responsibilities, one of which is the right to vote in general elections.

“There are certain persons in prison custody awaiting trial, undergoing trial or awaiting conviction for one offence or the other whose right to vote and citizenship remain sacrosanct,” he said.

Moro added: “Being a prison inmate is noT impediment to the Prisoners’ registration and voting rights as enshrined under Section 24 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and denying prison inmates access to the electoral process constitutes an infringement of their rights as citizens of Nigeria as provided under Section 25 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“It also confirms the definition of who a Citizen is as well as Section 12(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended) which spells out who qualifies to vote.

“Considers that the number of inmates in various prisons nationwide which is put at over 68,000 and the Statistics of those awaiting trial who in the eyes of the law are presumed innocent until found guilty.

“It is forthright and just that such persons be allowed to exercise their franchise and any attempt by an individual or agency to deny inmates of their right to vote is unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, null and void.”

The Senate, therefore, urged INEC to collaborate with the Nigeria Correctional Service to locate Voting Centres in Custodial Centres across the country ahead of the 2023 general elections.