CVR: INEC has agreed on extension of exercise —Reps

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has agreed to extend the Continuous Voters Registration, CVR, exercise, the House of Representatives said yesterday.

It will be recalled that INEC had given June 30, 2022, as the deadline for the exercise.

But through a motion presented by the spokesman of the House, Ben Kalu last week, the House urged INEC to extend the exercise by 60 days.

The appeal was to accommodate more eligible voters nationwide.

Briefing journalists at the end of plenary, the Chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Aisha Dukku, in company of Kalu, said they had a meeting with INEC which agreed to extend the timeline.

She also said INEC would deploy more machines and ad-hoc staff for that purpose, adding

that INEC would also function on weekends to realize the objective.

Dukku, however, said that the meeting did not agree on the period the exercise would be extended.

She, however, quoted INEC as saying it would put its activities into consideration and later communicate to the House.

The lawmaker said: “We invited INEC Chairman and he came and we presented the request and resolutions of the House and the resolutions are: INEC to extend the registration of all Nigerians of 18 years that want to be registered to get their PVCs.

In the motion we mentioned at least two month which is 60 days.

“The resolutions of the motion were discussed at length and in response, the chairman of INEC saw with the House what is physically happening in our various constituencies.

The number of people coming out for registration is unprecedented and we cannot deny Nigerians  wanting to be registered because it is their constitutional right

“In their response, they were positive because they are also a body in charge of that aspect.

With that registration the process of election is hampered.

“The first success is to get Nigerians that are eligible their voters cards so that they can exercise their right come election day.

“However that registration of voters is one aspect. There are other milestones that have to be achieved which include the printing and distribution of the voters card. And the printing of lists of all persons registered in all the 774 local governments nationwide.” Vanguard