The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has urged the
Independent National Electoral Commission to extend the Continuous Voter
Registration.
As the fourth quarter of the CVR exercise will be coming to
an end on 30th June 2022, citizens have intensified their efforts in
registering for their Permanent Voter’s Card.
Many Nigerians have also requested the INEC to extend the
registration exercise to enable them register to obtain a PVC.
A statement signed by the convener, Asmau Joda, and co-conveners of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, on Friday in Abuja read in part, “Situation Room has received reports of large crowds at the INEC offices across the country, lots of complaints while the pre-registrations were open on the online voters’ portal, that confirmed scheduling was not observed by officers at many INEC offices leading to people being treated as walk-in registrants and asked to queue to supply the same details already provided online.”
It said that registrants have to wait till the last day for
registration. People also complained of insufficient manpower and gadgets in
INEC offices which hamper the smooth running of the exercise.
It stated that the action has resulted in hesitations and
restiveness of citizens loitering to register in long queues.
It further said that it is anxious that many Nigerians will
be deterred and disenfranchised if the exercise continues this way.
Moreover, INEC is yet to reach out to the rustic
communities, thereby eliminating citizens who may be a distance away from the
INEC LGA offices.
The statement said, “The attention of the Situation Room has
been called on several posts by citizens on Twitter reporting the conduct of
INEC officials across the country.
“In Amawbia, Awka-South LGA, Anambra State, prospective
voters were asked to sweep the INEC office before being attended to or leave if
they refused.
“In Nnewi North Local
Government, another report states that the sum of 1,000 Naira is being
collected for voter registration. In Aba North LGA, workers have not been to
work for four months.
“Situation Room calls on INEC to check the conduct of their
staff nationwide, properly coordinate the ongoing voter registration exercise
and restrain the chaotic situation in many registration centres nationwide.
“If the process is managed properly and seamlessly, every
eligible citizen will be captured. Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022 which
allows for voter registration to go on till ninety days to the general
elections means that INEC still has room to extend the CVR exercise.”
It, therefore, commends the traders in Alaba International
Market, Ojo in Lagos State who shut down the market to register for their PVCs
and dissipated the hoodlum who came to disrupt the exercise.
It also recommends that citizens should not be liable to
this kind of attack in the process of exercising their constitutional right.
They urged the Nigeria Police to examine the incident and
make arrest of perpetrators to deter this incident from reccuring in other
locations where registrants are compiled.
“Situation Room therefore urges eligible citizens who are
yet to register not to be deterred and to take advantage of the ongoing CVR
exercise to do so. For those who registered between July 2021 and December
2021, Situation Room calls on them to go to INEC’s Office at the Local
Government Area where their polling unit is located to collect their PVCs,” the
statement said.
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