The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it planed to create 2,673 registration centres and deploy 5,346 officials for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) scheduled to resume June 28.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at the commission’s emergency meeting with security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
Yakubu said that INEC was preparing for the resumption of the nationwide CVR to enable Nigerians who have attained the age 18 years and those who did not register previously to do so.
“Similarly, registered voters who wish to change their voting locations and those who wish to correct their names and other details on their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) can do so.
“We plan to create 2,673 registration centres and deploy 5,346 officials for the exercise along with expensive voter enrollment machines.
“All these activities require security, thereby adding to the urgency and importance of this meeting,’’ Yakubu said.
He said that since the conclusion of the 2019 General Elections, INEC, working with the security agencies, had so far conducted four end-of-tenure governorship elections and 28 out of 32 bye-elections.
Yakubu said that in the next nine months, two major elections would be conducted.
“The Anambra State Governorship election is scheduled to hold on 6th November 2021 to be followed by the end-of-tenure elections for 68 Area Council constituencies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) holding on Feb. 12, 2022.
“These major elections will be followed by the Ekiti and Osun State Governorship elections ahead of the 2023 General Election which is just 632 days away.’’
He, however, extended INEC condolences to the inspector-general of police and other security agencies for the loss of their personnel on electoral duty, the most recent of which occurred during the Ekiti East State constituency bye-election on March 2, 2021.
“May God comfort their families as well as the families of voters who lost their lives during that election. The Commission has already indefinitely suspended the bye-election.’’
The ICCES meeting was attended by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (Rtd.), who was also Co-Chair of ICCES, and the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Baba.
Others in attendance include heads and representatives of all Armed Forces, paramilitary and anti-graft agencies in Nigeria as well as INEC national commissioners and directors.
(NAN)
