he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has explained its inability to commence the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), exercise by the end of the first quarter, saying the exercise will now commence in June.
The Chairman of the commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at a news conference, yesterday, in Abuja.
According to him, the CVR could not recommence in 2020 due largely to the Covid-19 pandemic, explaining that in line with the general advice by health officials regarding events involving large groups of people, INEC considered it inauspicious to restart the CVR at the height of the pandemic.
He said the commission issued a detailed policy on conducting elections in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which focused mainly on elections proper since these elections must hold to prevent any constitutional crisis linked to the end of tenure.
“In the light of the prevailing circumstances, the commission promised the nation that it would recommence the CVR in the first quarter of 2021. Our thinking at the time was that at the turn of the New Year, we would have completed all outstanding off-season governorship elections and that the pandemic would have eased. We also needed time to put in place new systems that would facilitate safer registration of voters, should the pandemic persist.
“The first quarter of 2021 ended Wednesday, and obviously, the commission was unable to restart the CVR exercise. It is, therefore, in line with our long-standing pledge to carry Nigerians along in all our activities and to make them aware of any challenges in the discharge of our functions, that the commission has called this Press Conference,” Yakubu stated.
He said INEC has reviewed the challenges which made her unable to conduct the CVR, adding that the commission has now taken measures to overcome them.
“The commission is now in a position to announce Monday, June 28, 2021, as the date for the recommencement of the CVR exercise nationwide. The following critical activities will be accomplished within the following timelines leading to the recommencement of the exercise:
“Expansion of voter access to Polling Units – May 11, 2021. Building and testing the online registration Portal – May 15, 2021. The arrival of the new generation of registration devices – the IVED – May 31, 2021. Recruitment and training of Voter Enrolment Staff – June 14, 2021.
“Effective from Monday, June 28, 2021, the CVR exercise will commence nationwide and carried out continuously for over a year until the third quarter of 2022. However, emphasis will initially be on Anambra State where more centres will be established in view of the governorship election already scheduled for Saturday, November 6, 2021.
“In order to complete preparations for the governorship election, the CVR exercise in the state will be temporarily suspended in August, 2021. This will enable the commission to clean up the data for the state and print the PVCs for registrants. As time goes on, the commission will provide more details on the CVR exercise, particularly, the innovations that will ensure a safe and stress-free experience for registrants.
In doing so, we will fully consult stakeholders.