The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to resume the Continous Voters Registration (CVR), in anticipation of the upcoming 2023 general elections.
The exercise is to commence on 28th of June, 2021 and is expected to run till third quarter of 2022, this was made known by the commission's boss, Prof. Mahmoud Yakub, on Thursday.
The exercise was stated to commence in the first quarter of 2021, but couldn't because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prof. Yakub said, “The CVR could not recommence in 2020 due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with the general advice by health officials regarding events involving large groups of people, we considered it inauspicious to restart the CVR at the height of the pandemic. In the light of the pandemic, the commission promised the nation that it would recommend the CVR in the first quarter of 2021.
The first quarter of 2021 ended yesterday (Wednesday) and obviously the commission was unable to restart the CVR exercise. In consideration of these challenges and the measures we have taken to overcome them, the commission is now in a position to announce Monday, June 28 2022 as the date for the recommencement of the CVR exercise nationwide.”
The commission also rejected the compulsory use of NIN for the registration process, as it targets to register twenty million new voters registration.
Yakub said, “The NIN is not going to be mandatory for the simple reason that we are operating on the basis of the law establishing INEC. Section 10 of the Electoral Act lists the means of identification to be presented by prospective registrants for the purpose of registration.
“These include birth certificate, passport, national identity card, or any other document that will prove the identity, age, and nationality of the applicants. The NIN is only one of the means of identification provided under section 10 (2) of the Electoral Act.
“We can’t single that out and make it mandatory. All the other requirements are requirements of the law and we must apply the law equally.”
The exercise is to commence on 28th of June, 2021 and is expected to run till third quarter of 2022, this was made known by the commission's boss, Prof. Mahmoud Yakub, on Thursday.
The exercise was stated to commence in the first quarter of 2021, but couldn't because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prof. Yakub said, “The CVR could not recommence in 2020 due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with the general advice by health officials regarding events involving large groups of people, we considered it inauspicious to restart the CVR at the height of the pandemic. In the light of the pandemic, the commission promised the nation that it would recommend the CVR in the first quarter of 2021.
The first quarter of 2021 ended yesterday (Wednesday) and obviously the commission was unable to restart the CVR exercise. In consideration of these challenges and the measures we have taken to overcome them, the commission is now in a position to announce Monday, June 28 2022 as the date for the recommencement of the CVR exercise nationwide.”
The commission also rejected the compulsory use of NIN for the registration process, as it targets to register twenty million new voters registration.
Yakub said, “The NIN is not going to be mandatory for the simple reason that we are operating on the basis of the law establishing INEC. Section 10 of the Electoral Act lists the means of identification to be presented by prospective registrants for the purpose of registration.
“These include birth certificate, passport, national identity card, or any other document that will prove the identity, age, and nationality of the applicants. The NIN is only one of the means of identification provided under section 10 (2) of the Electoral Act.
“We can’t single that out and make it mandatory. All the other requirements are requirements of the law and we must apply the law equally.”