The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC says it has deployed additional 209 bimodal machines to the five South Eastern States, Lagos and Kano to ease the current surge in the ongoing continuous voters registration exercise.
According to a signed statement by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education,INEC received reports from States indicating an unprecedented surge in the number of citizens that wish to register as voters and the challenges they face across the country.
Consequently, the Commission convened an urgent meeting with all the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Thursday 9th June 2022 to review the situation so that eligible Nigerians who wish to register are able to do so.
He said the decision to urgently deploy more voter enrolment machines to ease the congestion at the registration centres was identified as a priority.
“In response, the Commission has immediately released additional 209 machines deployed mainly to the five South Eastern States, Lagos and Kano where the pressure is most acute”Okoye added.
The Commission will monitor the situation over the next few days. Thereafter, it will meet to review the progress of the exercise.
“The Commission appeals for patience and understanding of all citizens. Every Nigerian who is 18 years of age and above has the constitutional right to register and vote in any part of the country he/she resides without let or hinderance.
According to Okoye, the sudden surge is an affirmation of the increasing confidence Nigerians have in our electoral process as the Commission will continue to ensure that the confidence is sustained.
