The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) claims that it is attempting to alleviate the challenges voters must overcome in order to register to vote.
Rep Aisha Duku, Chairman, House Committee on INEC, made this known while addressing the House on the outcome of its meeting with INEC at plenary on Wednesday in Abuja.
She noted that if the House of Representatives asks to extend the voter registration deadline, the electoral umpire may utilise more equipment and ad hoc staff.
Following a move by Rep. Benjamin Kalu, the House of Representatives ordered on June 15 that the committee meet with the electoral umpire (APC-Abia).
The House recommended INEC to provide voters a another 60 days to register to vote.
Remember that the CVR, or Continuous Voter Registration, was initially supposed to cease on June 30.
Duku in her response, stated the electoral umpire concurred on all its resolutions, including the extension of voters registration.
She continued by saying that INEC had informed the committee that weekends will now be included in the registration days, along with more staff to ensure a successful exercise.
According to her, all the prayers contained in the motions were approved.
According to Kalu’s motion, INEC declared in April that around 42% of voter registrations registered since the start of CVR on June 28, 2021, were invalid, and that there were approximately 20 million unclaimed Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
The vast number of eligible voters who are not registered but are eager to do so, as shown by the crowds at different registration centres, he continued, has led to congestion.
According to Kalu, millions of Nigerians would lose their right to vote, endangering the credibility of the general elections in 2023, if nothing was done to address the equipment shortfall and extend the registration deadline.
The house instructed the Committee on Electoral Matters to work with INEC to analyse and suggest solutions to the paucity of registration machines and staff as part of its decision.
Additionally, to address the lack of workers at registration centres, the House encouraged INEC to set up 30 more voter registration machines in each local government area and train and use ad hoc staff.
The House decided that security should be offered to the staff as well, with a two-week report deadline.
