CVR: Online registration commences on Monday ― INEC

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu has said the much anticipated Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) will commence on Monday, across the 2,673 registration centres nationwide starting with online registration on a dedicated INEC portal.

Addressing newsmen on Friday in Abuja ahead of the exercise, the INEC Chairman said the Commission would kick start the process with the online platform before the physical registration by prospective voters at INEC offices at State and local government areas. The latter is slated to commence on July 19.

Shedding light on the online initiative, Professor Yakubu said his Commission has since devised a registration machine called the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) to replace the lap-top based old Direct Data Capture Machine (DDCM).

He said:” The idea is for intending registrants to commence the process online by filling the forms and uploading their pictures and required documents, and then make an appointment on the web portal for a date and time to visit an INEC State or Local Government Area (LGA) office to give their fingerprints and complete the registration. In addition, those who are already registered as voters can carry out all the other activities such as transfers, correction of personal details and replacement of damaged or defaced Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) online. We hope that through this portal, we shall reduce overcrowding at our registration centres, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, make the registration processes generally easier, thereby giving Nigerians a pleasant electoral experience. The portal will go live in the early hours of Monday 28th June 2021.”

The INEC chairman however said the online option was not meant to displace the physical Registration at designated centres, but to complement it.

“On this note, let me allay the fears expressed by some Nigerians that many citizens may be disenfranchised by the new digital arrangement. The Commission is aware that not all Nigerians have computers, smartphones, access to the internet or residing in urban and sub-urban areas. Some citizens may also have one form of disability or another to make it impossible for them to register online.

“The Commission is also aware of its responsibility under the law to provide every eligible Nigerian with the opportunity to register irrespective of where they live or other circumstances of life. I wish to assure you that in addition to the online registration portal, there will be some 2,673 centres where citizens can register physically nationwide.

Furthermore, the exercise will be carried out continuously over a period of at least one year thereby providing enough time for the Commission to reach all the nooks and crannies of the country. No eligible Nigerian will be disenfranchised.”

He further assured Nigerians that despite the threats posed by arsonists to the Commission in the discharge of its statutory functions in recent times, it remained undeterred.

He said with the cooperation of security agencies, adequate security would be provided for eligible Nigerians anxious to register to perform their civic duty by voting in the forthcoming general elections.

He said the threat posed by the security challenge informed the graduated approach towards the CVR starting with online registration as suggested by stakeholders in the electoral process.

“From the consultations, the stakeholders reached a consensus that it is important for the Commission to place a high premium on securing the lives of registrants and staff, as well as the protection of the expensive registration equipment to be deployed for the exercise. Consequently, they advised that the Commission should adopt a graduated approach to the CVR exercise by starting online. After appraising the situation, the exercise can then proceed physically at State and LGA offices before finally deploying to all the 2,673 centres nationwide. Based on this advice, the Commission decided to adopt a roll-out and roll-back approach to the exercise such that the registration centres will not only be accessible but safe and secure.”

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