Osun Female Voter Breaks Down After INEC Official Asked Her To Remove Hijab Before Voting | Sahara Reporters

According to her, the INEC officials at the polling unit insisted that she remove her hijab to enable them capture her, a demand she described as unfair and a violation of her religious and personal rights.

A woman, Saka Sekina, broke down in tears after an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly asked her to remove her hijab before she could be captured and allowed to vote in the ongoing Osun State governorship election.

Sekina, who spoke to SaharaReporters on Saturday morning, said she had waited for more than six hours at Ward 8, Polling Unit 9, in Osogbo Local Government Area before reaching the point where she was expected to cast her ballot.

According to her, the INEC officials at the polling unit insisted that she remove her hijab to enable them capture her, a demand she described as unfair and a violation of her religious and personal rights.

“My name is Saka Sekina, this is not my first time of voting. I have been here for hours, more than six hours, and when it is now my turn to vote, they are now asking me to remove my hijab before they can take my capturing and that is unfair,” she told SaharaReporters.

Sekina said she had previously undergone biometric capturing for her National Identification Number (NIN) while wearing the same type of religious covering and questioned why she should be required to remove it during the electoral process.

“It is not possible. Even when I took capturing for my NIN, this is the way I did it. Why must you ask me to remove hijab? This is my personal right,” shesaid.

The female voter insisted that wearing the hijab is part of her religious practice and should not prevent her from exercising her constitutional right to vote.

“It is my civic right to vote. This is my religion and I have rights to my religion,” she added.

Sekina further alleged that the officials told her to remove her hijab so that her ears could be visible during the biometric verification process.

“They said I should bring my ears, and it can never be possible,” she said.

Her complaint comes amid reports of long queues and other challenges at polling units across Osun State as voters turn out to participate in the governorship election.

The incident also raises concerns about how electoral officials are handling voters whose religious practices involve covering parts of their bodies during biometric accreditation.