From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Over 203,497 eligible Nigerians have completed the online pre-registration as fresh voters within one week of the commencement of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced.
INEC, in a statement signed by National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, also disclosed receipt of 259,713 applications requesting for voter transfer, replacement of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), update of voter information record etc.
‘The INEC met today, Tuesday, July 6, 2021, and discussed, among other issues, the ongoing CVR which commenced online on June 28, 2021.
‘In our press statement of Tuesday June 29, 2021, we promised Nigerians that after one week of the exercise, we will be giving weekly updates which will include a detailed breakdown of the distribution of registrants by state, occupation, gender and age.
‘As at 7am, July 5, 2021, one week after the commencement of the exercise, 203,497 eligible Nigerians have completed the online pre-registration as fresh voters. The figure rises to 259,713 of applications for voter transfer, requests for replacement of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), update of voter information record, etc, are included.
‘Full details of week one of the exercise have been uploaded on the Commission’s website and social media platforms,’ the Commission noted in the statement.
It further added: ‘For emphasis, the physical or in-person registration is scheduled to commence in all our State and Local Government offices nationwide on Monday July 19, 2021.
‘Eligible Nigerians who wish to register physically and those who have scheduled their appointments to complete their online pre-registration will have the opportunity to do so. Both online pre-registration and the physical registration will go on simultaneously throughout the duration of the CVR.
‘Further details of the schedule of activities and locations for the physical exercise will be made available next week.
‘The online pre-registration services are for the following categories of Nigerians: Those who are 18 years and above and have never registered.
‘Registered voters who have had any problem during the accreditation for past elections, with either their Permanent Voters’ Cards or fingerprints not being read by the Smart Card Reader (SCR).
‘Registered voters who want to transfer their voting location from one place to another. Registered voters who want to correct issues with their data, such as misspelt names, dates of birth, etc.
‘Registered voters whose Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) are lost or damaged. We urge every eligible Nigerian to seize the opportunity of the online pre-registration or the in-person option to register as a voter,’ the statement read.