BY JOHN ONAH, Abuja-The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is set to undertake a comprehensive debriefing and review of the 2017/2018 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The Chief Technical Adviser to INEC Chairman, Prof Bolade Eyinla who disclosed this at the workshop on the review of the exercise holding in Benin, Edo state, also said that the objective of the workshop include the dissemination of information on the methodology for the conduct of the new CVR exercise and the presentation of the new equipment and technology for the CVR process.
“Your invitation to this workshop is deliberate. We need to engage with you as the point persons responsible for undertaking and superintending the CVR exercise in your respective State offices and Registration Areas.
It is important to listen to you, based on your various personal experiences in the field during the previous exercise on the things that worked and/or did not work, the challenges, successes and failures.
“The registration of voters on a continuous basis is one of the primary functions of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Commission is empowered by Part 1 Section 15 (e) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to arrange and conduct the registration of persons qualified to vote and to prepare, maintain and revise the register of voters for the purpose of any election”.
“Furthermore, it is empowered by Section 9 and 10(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) to ‘compile, maintain and update on a continuous basis, a National Register of Voters which shall include the names of all persons entitled to vote in any federal, state and Local Government or Area Council elections and to undertake mandatory continuous registration of all persons qualified to be registered as voters”.
It would be recalled that the Commission undertook the conduct of a nationwide CVR exercise for the first time for a period of 16 months on a continual basis from 27th April 2018.
According to him, the exercise was suspended on 31st August 2018 in preparation for the 2019 General Election.
“It is important to note that the Commission had wished to devolve the CVR process to the PU level which is the basic unit of engagement with voters, it was unable to do so due to the huge financial resources, personnel and equipment required. Nonetheless, it was able to register 14,283,734 new voters during this period, which brought the number of registered voters for the 2019 General Election to 84,004,084”.
“Following the conclusion of the 2019 General Election and the associated review exercises, it was assumed that the CVR will recommence sometime in 2020 after the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections. However, this was not the case due to the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic towards the end of the year which by March 2020 had become the worst global health emergency in over 100 years, resulting more or less in a world-wide lockdown from April to July of that year, he added.
Prof Eyinla noted that though the Commission issued a detailed policy on conducting elections in the context of COVID 19 pandemic in July 2020, all its efforts were subsequently later focused on the conduct of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections to preclude a constitutional crisis.
“Furthermore, the advisory of the Health Authorities at this time which discouraged large gathering and called for adherence to social distancing protocols to preclude the spread of the virus constrained the Commission from resuming the CVR exercise. Nevertheless, it promised that the exercise will recommence in the first quarter of 2021”.
“The reappointment of the Chairman for another term of five years from December 2020 and his determination to ensure a safe, secure, well organised and orderly CVR process impacted on this schedule. This was with particular reference to the necessity to design an improved registration system through the deployment of an online portal where eligible voters can commence their registration, the need to expand voters’ access to polling units and the imperative of introducing new generation of voter registration technology and equipment”.
“The level of progress made by the Commission in successfully accomplishing the above activities and other related actions led the INEC Chairman to announce on 1st April 2021 that the nationwide CVR exercise will resume on Monday, 28th June 2021. The exercise will be undertaken on a continual basis until the end of September 2022 to enable the Commission prepare for the printing of the last batch of PVCs and the production of the voter register for the 2023 General Election, scheduled for Saturday 18 February 2023”.
This workshop is therefore part of the preparation towards ensuring a seamless and conducive environment for the successful take-off and conduct of the CVR exercise. In the light of the prevailing COVID – 19 situation and in adherence to the Commission’s COVID policy and relevant Health advisory, the workshop will hold in two venues – here in Benin for Head of the Voter Registration Unit and a Registration Area Officer selected by peers from 18 States and later in Kano for the 18 other States and FCT. Permit me at this point to express the Commission’s appreciation to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and especially to the efforts of the Country Director for supporting the Commission in organising these workshops.
He urged the participants to share their experiences in an honest and forthright manner in order to enhance and improve the forthcoming CVR exercise and assured them of protection from the Office of the Chairman.
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