The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria’s electoral body, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has proclaimed the extension of the ongoing voters registration exercise indefinitely.
Driving the news
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu confirmed the extension of the registration exercise while speaking at the Youths Vote Count Concert held in Abuja. The INEC chairman also confirmed the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to registrants from October 2022.
Why it matters
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Aishatu Jibril Dukku, had announced that INEC extended the ongoing voters registration exercise by 60days; a statement denied by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi. The contradictory statements then stirred controversy as to what directive Nigerians should believe as the June 30th deadline for voters’ registration approaches. A confirmatory message of an extension by the INEC chairman calms the tension on unregistered Nigerians.
What you should know
- Nigerians called for the extension of the deadline for the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise after INEC extended the deadline for political parties to conduct primaries and submit the names of their candidates.
- The House of Representatives intervened by urging INEC to extend the deadline on voters’ registration by 60 days. The motion by Ben Kalu (APC, Abia) stated that many Nigerians were yet to complete the process either due to the lack of sufficient registration materials or the social awareness for the need of a permanent voter’s card (PVC).
- The Federal High Court in Abuja presided by Honorable Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon ruled for the continuation of voters’ registration exercise by INEC after SERAP and 185 Nigerians filed a lawsuit against the commission.