INEC earmarks N1 billion for the resumption of voter registration in 2021

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has announced that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will commence in the first quarter of 2021, ahead of the 2023 general election.

According to Channels, the disclosure was made today by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, accompanied by National Commissioners, Directors & the Technical Team, during the Commission’s 2021 Budget Defense session before the Senate Committee on INEC.

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The INEC boss, who said that the exercise is expected to gulp a sum of N1billion, affirmed his support for diaspora voting and called on the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to accommodate diaspora and early voting.

What you should know

On October 26, 2020, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, said the commission plans to resume the exercise in the first quarter of 2020.

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He said the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the voter registration exercise and CVR is a national exercise that requires the mobilization of a lot of equipment, materials, and personnel.

Why this matter

It is important to note that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise which will commence in the first quarter of 2021 ahead of the 2023 general election would capture new registrants including those who have reached the national voting age of 18 years, and those that have issues with their PVCs, such as replacement of lost or defaced cards and transfers from former locations.