The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may extend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to accommodate more Nigerians qualified for registration, according to hints yesterday by the commission chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.


Yakubu said on the official Twitter handle of the commission @inecnigeria that those calling for the extension of the exercise “will soon hear from us.”


“We have heard your requests loud and clear. You will soon hear from us on extension of CVR registration. Please assure me that you will register, pick your PVCs and Vote. I also assure you that your vote will count,” he wrote.


The registration was originally scheduled to end on June 30. Only on Friday, the commission announced its deployment of additional 209 voter enrolment machines to five South Eastern States, Lagos and Kano to ease the congestion at CVR centres.


National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said in Abuja that INEC received reports from states indicating an unprecedented surge in the number of citizens that wished to register as voters and the challenges they faced across the country.


Okoye said that the reports showed that in some states, sudden turnout of prospective registrants was overwhelming.


“In response, the Commission has immediately released additional 209 machines deployed mainly to the five South Eastern States, Lagos and Kano where the pressure is most acute. The Commission will monitor the situation over the next few days. Thereafter, it will meet to review the progress of the exercise,” he said.

credit: today.ng