INEC expands voter registration in Edo and Ondo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expanded the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Edo and Ondo States, which was previously scheduled to be completed on June 6.

The exercise will now end on June 9.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Voter Information and Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

Olumekun added that the daily duration of exercise was also extended from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“In addition, the number of registration centers has been increased beyond the 397 wards and state offices in Benin City and Akure to include the 36 INEC local government offices in the two states.

“More machines will also be deployed in areas with peculiar needs, such as difficult terrain,” he said.

He added that detailed information on the names and locations of LGA offices had been uploaded to the INEC website and social media platforms to guide prospective voters in the two states.

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Olumekun said the decision was made after a review of the exercise, appeal by stakeholders and other matters to enable more eligible voters to register in the two states.

He revealed that as of June 3, eight days after the TRC began, a total of 120,458 new voters had been registered.

He said that of that number, 55,861, representing 46.4 percent, were men, while 64,597, representing 53.6 percent, were women.

He added that 82,003 of the voters, representing 68.8 percent, were young people between 18 and 34 years old, making up the majority of new registered voters.

“In terms of occupation, 43.419 million, representing 36.8 per cent, are students, while 812, representing 0.67 per cent, are persons with disabilities (PWD),” he said.

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He explained that the final figures would be published on a state-by-state basis after a data cleansing, indicating all categories of newly registered voters at the end of the exercise.

Olumekun said the data would be cleaned using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).

He called on eligible voters to take advantage of the opportunity of the extension to register, transfer or correct personal information on their PVCs as provided by law, adding that there will be no further extension.

(YAYA)