INEC has set July 31 as the new deadline for Continuous Voters Registration
INEC has set July 31 as the new deadline for Continuous Voters Registration 


The Independent National Electoral Commission has set July 31, 2022, as the new deadline for the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC's Information and Voter Education Committee, issued the statement on Friday.

 

The extension was granted as a result of "the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court on Wednesday 13th July 2022 in which it dismissed the suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) which is seeking an extension of the exercise beyond 30th June 2022," which affirmed that "INEC is at liberty to appoint a date of its choice to suspend the CVR, provided it is not unreasonable." later than 90 days before the General Election date, as provided in Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022."


The commission explained that it followed an interim court injunction pending the outcome of the substantive suit and extended the CVR beyond its original June 30 deadline.

 

As a result, it said it had extended the deadline by 15 days.

Following the Federal High Court decision, which, according to INEC, removed all legal encumbrances, the commission decided to extend the voter registration deadline by two weeks, until Sunday, July 31, 2022.

"In compliance with the Court's interim injunction pending the determination of the substantive suit, and in order to enable more Nigerians to register, the Commission continued with the CVR beyond 30th June 2022," the statement said in part. As a result, the CVR has already been extended for 15 days beyond June 30, 2022. All legal encumbrances have now been removed as a result of the Federal High Court's decision.


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"As a result, the Commission has made the following decisions:"

 1. The CVR is hereby extended for an additional two weeks until Sunday, July 31, 2022, bringing the total duration of the extension to 31 days (1st - 31st July 2022).

2. The exercise has also been extended to eight hours per day, from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., rather than the current six hours (9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.).

3. The exercise has also been expanded to include weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) rather than just weekdays. We understand that time is of the essence for many prospective registrants, but there is a lot that the Commission is required to do under the electoral legal framework in terms of voter registration and register compilation that will take time to complete."

INEC pleaded for understanding, stating that it had a number of activities to carry out in preparation for the 2023 general election, hence the “tight timeframe.”

"For example, the Commission is required to:

1. Clean up the register to remove multiple registrants using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS); and 2.

2. Consolidate the national voter register (existing voters and new registrants) and display it for public scrutiny on a Polling Unit basis for each of the 8,809 Registration Areas (Wards) across the 774 Local Government Areas nationwide. This is only valid for one week. Based on a new projection of 95 million voters and 10 voters per page, the Commission must print 9,500,000 pages for display.

3. Print millions of Permanent Voters' Cards (PVCs) for all new registrants and applicants for PVC transfer and replacement;

4. Make certain that voters have enough time to collect their PVCs before the 2023 General Election;

 5. print the final register of voters in triplicate for the 2023 General Election, involving a projected 28,500,000 pages for accreditation, and display it at 176,846 polling units for national elections (Presidential and National Assembly) on February 25th, 2023, and State elections (Governorship and State Assembly) on March 11th, 2023; and

 6. make copies of the updated national register The CVR exercise would continue after the 2023 general election, according to the statement.

"We appeal to all Nigerians for patience and understanding as we conclude the exercise, which will resume after the 2023 General Election." We noticed that when the exercise was extended beyond June 30th, 2022, many of the registration centers had a low turnout of prospective registrants." With this two-week extension, we urge eligible citizens to register as soon as possible rather than waiting until the last few days.

"We appreciate Nigerians' desire to register and participate in the electoral process, and we reiterate our commitment to fair and transparent elections." This can only be accomplished with the help and cooperation of all Nigerians," it says.