The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced its intention to stage the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercises in Osun and Ekiti on 12th March 2014 and 19th March 2014 respectively, ahead of the states’ governorship elections scheduled for August and June 2015.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced its intention to stage the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercises in Osun and Ekiti on 12th March 2014 and 19th March 2014 respectively, ahead of the states’ governorship elections scheduled for August and June 2015.
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Disclosing the plans in Abuja on Thursday during a Stakeholders’ Forum themed Status of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) Toward the 2015 General Elections, INEC's Director in charge of Voter Registration, Emmanuel Akem explained that holding the exercises that early would enable the commission accommodate all complaints that may arise from the exercises, and address them in time before the elections.
“The exercise would be handled by the Registration Area Officers (RAOs) for ward levels. INEC is also considering the possibility of using mobile platforms to carry out the registration. This exercise would help to correct some of the anomalies detected in the 2010 voter register”, he assured.
“We want to use the opportunity of the CVR to correct some of the mistakes in terms of biometrics in the previous registration. The choice of the registration centres at the ward has to do with increasing the participation in the process”.
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Akem urged prospective voters who are unable to register at the ward level to visit INEC’s local government offices to register, but warned that the commission would fully comply with the provision of the Electoral Act slamming a N100,000 fine on anyone discovered to have been involved in multiple registrations.
Also speaking at the event — organised by the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and four other international agencies — Country Director of Action Aid International, Nigeria, Dr. Hussaini Abdu described the voter registration exercise as an important component of elections.
“They are a major factor in the credibility of elections, which is why ActionAid had been clamouring for credible voter registers since 1998”, he said.
He lamented the country’s failure to adopt a permanent voter card since 1999, and criticised INEC for approaching the continuous voter registration as a seasonal affair.
“You don’t need a particular date to secure an international passport”, he said. “You just walk into the office of the Immigration Service and apply for one, as long as you meet the requirement. That is the same way voter registrations should be done. So, the continuous voter registration, as the name implies, should be continuous in its actual meaning”.
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