This disclosure was made on December 18, 2014, Thursday, by the joint
president of the association, Anthony and Andrew Mamuzee Dixon, on
behalf of several other identical twins in Nigeria.
The twins, through their counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome, in a letter addressed to Jega, accused the electoral commission of refusing to issue one of them with a Permanent Voter Card (PVC) on ground that Data Capturing Machine only captured one person.
The twins disclosed that an INEC staff had informed them that the machine cannot detect the difference between the two of them.
“Our client informed us that on getting to their place of registration, one of the twins, Andrew, gave the INEC official his temporary voter card.
“Upon going through their register for some few minutes, his permanent voter card was brought out by the INEC official and he signed for and collected same.
“When it was the turn of the second twin, Anthony, he presented his temporary voter card to the INEC official who had earlier sorted out that of his twin brother.
“To our clients’ bewilderment and dismay, the INEC official, after over 30 minutes of search, informed Anthony that they could neither find his name on the register nor locate his permanent voter card.
“When our clients demanded to know why they could not use their
biometric data recordings to detect that they were two separate
individuals rather than the same person doing double registration, the
man simply replied that this is Nigeria. Our clients were thoroughly
shocked at this response,” the letter read in part.
The twins, however, stated that upon the attitude of INEC, their fate was hanging in the air in the forth-coming 2015 general election.
The twins further called on INEC to forthwith issue Anthony his PVC to enable him perform his fundamental and civil obligation, as enshrined in Section 12(1) of the Electoral Act, 2011.
They further requested that the sum of N20 million be paid as compensation for the trauma, psychological depression and the feeling of societal rejection they have been made to pass through.
“Be informed that if within 14 days from the date of your receipt of this letter, you fail or refuse to carry out our modest demands, we shall, without further recourse to you, issue a writ against your organisation, demanding N1 billion as general damages for the shame and low esteem your organisation’s action has brought on our clients.
“This will be in addition to issuing our client’s PVC and a letter of apology to be published in four leading national newspapers,” the letter stated.
According to the letter, the association of twins also stated that if INEC refuses to correct the situation earnest, that they would all boycott the 2015 general elections.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State, few days ago ruled that inmates of prisons in Nigeria have the right to vote in all elections conducted in the country.
The court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Lima, gave the ruling in a suit instituted by Messrs. Victor Emenuwe, Onome Inaye, Kabiru Abu, Osagie Iyekepolor, Modugu Odion for and on behalf of inmates of Nigeria Prisons, against INEC and the Controller-General of Nigeria Prisons Service, also directed the Defendants to ensure that the Applicants are not disenfranchised.
The twins, through their counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome, in a letter addressed to Jega, accused the electoral commission of refusing to issue one of them with a Permanent Voter Card (PVC) on ground that Data Capturing Machine only captured one person.
INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega
“Our client informed us that on getting to their place of registration, one of the twins, Andrew, gave the INEC official his temporary voter card.
“Upon going through their register for some few minutes, his permanent voter card was brought out by the INEC official and he signed for and collected same.
“When it was the turn of the second twin, Anthony, he presented his temporary voter card to the INEC official who had earlier sorted out that of his twin brother.
“To our clients’ bewilderment and dismay, the INEC official, after over 30 minutes of search, informed Anthony that they could neither find his name on the register nor locate his permanent voter card.
INEC official at work.
The twins, however, stated that upon the attitude of INEC, their fate was hanging in the air in the forth-coming 2015 general election.
The twins further called on INEC to forthwith issue Anthony his PVC to enable him perform his fundamental and civil obligation, as enshrined in Section 12(1) of the Electoral Act, 2011.
They further requested that the sum of N20 million be paid as compensation for the trauma, psychological depression and the feeling of societal rejection they have been made to pass through.
“Be informed that if within 14 days from the date of your receipt of this letter, you fail or refuse to carry out our modest demands, we shall, without further recourse to you, issue a writ against your organisation, demanding N1 billion as general damages for the shame and low esteem your organisation’s action has brought on our clients.
“This will be in addition to issuing our client’s PVC and a letter of apology to be published in four leading national newspapers,” the letter stated.
According to the letter, the association of twins also stated that if INEC refuses to correct the situation earnest, that they would all boycott the 2015 general elections.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State, few days ago ruled that inmates of prisons in Nigeria have the right to vote in all elections conducted in the country.
The court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Lima, gave the ruling in a suit instituted by Messrs. Victor Emenuwe, Onome Inaye, Kabiru Abu, Osagie Iyekepolor, Modugu Odion for and on behalf of inmates of Nigeria Prisons, against INEC and the Controller-General of Nigeria Prisons Service, also directed the Defendants to ensure that the Applicants are not disenfranchised.
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