2023: INEC releases date to commence voters registration
The Independent National Electoral Commission will on June 28 across the 774 Local Government Areas commence a nationwide Continuous Voter Registration ahead of the 2023 general election.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC’s Chairman, said this on Thursday during a press conference held in Abuja.
He also noted that the indefinite suspension of the bye-election held in Ekiti East following electoral violence, and killings would stay, saying that “if the purpose of election is to kill, the election will remain suspended indefinitely. And when I mean indefinitely, I mean indefinitely.”
The INEC Chairman was also questioned on the attack on a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo, and the killing of his three aides ahead of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.“Our fears have been heightened and we always cringe whenever there is election violence and we hardly sleep during elections,” he stated.
According to the Chairman, the registration exercise would be carried out repeatedly for more than a year until the third quarter of 2022.
The commission had earlier in the year announced that the exercise will kick start in the first quarter of 2021.
He said, “The CVR could not recommence in 2020 due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with the general advise by health officials regarding events involving large groups of people, we considered it inauspicious to restart the CVR at the height of the pandemic. In the light of the pandemic, the commission promised the nation that it would recommend the CVR in the first quarter of 2021.
“The first quarter of 2021 ended yesterday (Wednesday) March 31st and obviously the commission was unable to restart the CVR exercise.
“In consideration of the challenges and the measures facing the country, we have taken to overcome them, the commission has announced Monday June 28 2022 as the date for the recommencement of the CVR exercise nationwide.”
