Politics
By Anthony Isibor.
PROF Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has expressed satisfaction at the large number of registrants, who have so far turned out for the ongoing voter registration exercise.
Yakubu said that the large turnout of Nigerians for the exercise was an indication of the readiness for the 2023 election.
He made this known at a press conference organised by the commission to brief the nation on the outcome of the First and Second Quarters of the Continuous Voters Registration, CVR, exercise at its headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
“During the period from 28th June to 2oth December 2021, millions of Nigerians commenced their registration online and thereafter scheduled appointments to complete the process physically. Millions more visited our state and local government offices to register in person without the option of going through the online procedure.
“For the pre-registration option, 1,014,382 registrants completed the process, while 1,509,076 Nigerians registered in-person at our designated registration centres nationwide.
“Furthermore, 671,106 Nigerians submitted requests to update their records, transfer their registration from where they are currently registered to other locations or the replacement of their lost or damaged PVCs.
“While the number of new registrants is very impressive and demonstrates the eagerness of Nigerians to vote in the forthcoming elections, the Commission has a duty to clean up the data to ensure that only eligible Nigerians are registered,” he said.
Yakubu also noted that the introduction of the biometric registration of voters in 2011 has helped to sanitise the register as the foundation for any credible election rests on the credibility of the Register of Voters.
“You may recall that initially, 73,528,040 Nigerians were registered in 2011. Using the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, AFIS, the Commission was able to remove 4,239,923 invalid registrations. Consequently, the Register of Voters for the 2015 General Election stood at 69,288,117 voters. Subsequently, some 432,173 new voters were added to the Register during the CVR exercises ahead of the off-cycle governorship elections in five states – Bayelsa, Kogi, Edo, Ondo and Anambra from late 2015 to early 2017, bringing the total number of registered voters in Nigeria to 69,720,350.
“You may also recall that preparatory to the 2019 General Election, the Commission, for the first time, embarked on a nationwide CVR exercise on a continuous basis as provided by law. From 27th April 2017 to 31st August 2018, 15,317,872 new voters were registered. Out of this figure, 1,034,141 ineligible registrants were detected and removed from the register to arrive at the figure of 84,004,084 voters for that election,” he said.
He used the opportunity to call on political parties, the media, civil society organisations and the general public to assist the Commission in educating Nigerians about the problem of invalid registration.
“As we have repeatedly explained, if you had at any time in the past registered to vote, you do not have to reregister. If you have registered in the past, you should not get involved in the CVR again unless you have had problems with your PVC or fingerprint recognition during accreditation in any previous election.
“In that case, all you need to do is to revalidate your registration by visiting a designated registration centre to recapture your fingerprints and picture. Other registered persons who may also get involved in the CVR are those whose PVCs are missing or defaced, those whose details need correction and those seeking to transfer from their current places of voting to other locations.
“These cases do not involve new registration. Apart from these, the CVR is essentially for Nigerians, who have attained the age of 18 years and have not registered earlier,” he added.
The CVR exercise, which resumed on 28th June 2021 after it was suspended for the 2019 general elections, is expected to run for one year.
AI.
Apr. 13, 2022 @ 21:17 GMT
Tags: Prof. Mahmood Yakubu
