Four weeks after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commenced the online pre-registration of voters, over one million Nigerians have registered.
Indications from the commission revealed that new registrants has risen to 1,006,661 as at Monday 26th July 2021.
A signed statement by National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye further shows that of the total figure, 740,063 (or 73.5%) are young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 34.
Meanwhile, physical or in-person registration will commence on Monday 26th July 2021 in 811 State and Local Government Area offices nationwide. The exact locations of the designated centres have already been uploaded in the commission’s website and social media platforms.
Nigerians that pre-registered online are expected to complete their registration at the designated centres based on scheduled appointments. In addition, other Nigerians who prefer to register physically/in-person can also do so at those centres.
Both online pre-registration and physical/in-person registration will continue simultaneously until the suspension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise on 30th June 2022 to enable the Commission to clean up the data and compile the voters’ register for the 2023 General Election.
The right to vote begins with the registration of voters. Thus, as we enter the next phase of the CVR exercise, we once again appeal to all citizens who wish to register to approach any of the Commission’s State or Local Government Area offices nationwide to do so.
The Commission however reminded citizens that the ongoing registration does not include those already registered as voters. The current exercise is only open to Nigerians who are 18 years and above who have not registered before. It is an offence under the Electoral Act for any citizen to register more than once.
