CVR: Address impediments causing interruption, PDP tells INEC

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, on Friday, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address all constraints hindering the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

The state Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Gani was reacting to INEC’s plan to begin the CVR in June.

“There is nothing bad in INEC continuing voter registration, but what is embarrassing is that this continuous voter registration is always announced as if it has intervals.

“That should not be; it is not the intendment of that act.

“It should be a continuous and uninterrupted registration exercise.

“It is for INEC to let people know if they are facing logistics constraints.

“Why should they say continuous voter registration while it is not really continuous?’’ he queried.

According to him, the idea of announcing when exercise is starting and when it is ending has betrayed the essence of the exercise.

“It should be a continuous exercise and should occur seamlessly.’’

The party spokesman said that registration, suspension in 2018, “would still bring stress to numerous applicants who would seek to register ahead of the 2023 general election’’.

If it has been a continuous exercise in its real sense, he said, the exercise would not bring pains to people.

“Now, people will still have to line up and go through pains to get registered,’’ he said.

Gani urged INEC to ensure that the 2023 elections reflect the will of the people.

INEC, on Thursday, announced that it had fixed June 28, for the resumption of its suspended CVR across the country, with new technology.

The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at a news briefing said that the exercise would continue until the third quarter of 2022.

Yakubu also announced that the commission would replace its Direct Data Capture Machine (DDCM), introduced in 2011 for voter registration, with a new technology called, INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED).

The registration exercise took place continuously from April 27, 2017, and was suspended on Aug. 31, 2018. (NAN)