Sit-at-home: INEC extends voters registration in Southeast

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) in Southeast region.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge of Enugu State, Dr Emeka Ononamadu, made the disclosure in Enugu during INEC Engagement with Critical Stakeholders on the Ongoing Fourth Quarter of CVR.

The fourth quarter CVR registration started on April 12 in Enugu State.

Ononamadu said that INEC had graciously added more time on days for the CVR registration in Southeast to accommodate for the Monday’s disruption, adding “It is now from 9am to 5pm but previously from 9am to 3pm.”

The REC attributed the low turnout to CVR registration to fear, insecurity and some people with the old stereotype of votes not counting.

The REC appealed to electoral stakeholders to mobilise more registrants to participate in the in Enugu State.

He lamented that the registration figure of Enugu State had remained low, adding that “after three quarters of CVR registration we are having about 31,000 in Enugu State”.

He said that in this fourth quarter CVR registration, INEC would move Its CVR registration to political wards and open up more means of polling units transfer especially for the newly created 1,000 polling units in the state.

“The new polling units will make polling booths closer, polling activities seamless and easy; while INEC will publish the new polling units by next week and paste it in public places within the state.

“We have done only 3,000 transfers in the state and our people should make more transfers to the new polling units to lessen distance and cumbersomeness.

“I am appealing to the media, traditional rulers, Presidents-General, religious leaders and youth leaders to help us mobilise and enlighten our people on the need to go for their CVR registration,” Ononamadu said.

The Chairman of Enugu State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, said that the state needed to do better in the ongoing CVR in order to positively influence the electoral system.

“I am calling on the people in general to take the issue of participating in the ongoing CVR seriously. We needed to increase the number of successful registrants in all wards in the state,” Agubuzu said.