Politics
CVR: INEC Insists On July 31 Deadline
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the deadline for the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise remains July 31, and those who register more than once would not get their PVCs.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, FCT, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, made this known at a news conference on the commission’s state of preparedness for the 2023 general elections, on CVR,PVC validity and collection in Abuja.
Bello said that all CVR activities except the collection of already printed PVCs would be suspended on Sunday July 31, adding that the commission increased the closing hours to 5pm daily including Saturdays and Sundays.
According to him, this was done to accommodate the reawakening of those who now realised that they need their PVCs at the last hour of the programme that has been ongoing for over a year.
He said, “The number of people who registered and whose registration has been invalidated is becoming alarming; a lot of people have registered in one or two registration centres.
“They will get nothing by doing so whatever their intentions were, because at the end of the day, they will be declared as people without PVC at all.
“Any double or triple registration is null and void, we will go through our machines after these exercise and clean our register so that we can come up with the list of people who genuinely are going to in 2023.
“So let me appeal to people that they should always tell our staff at registration centres exactly what they want to do, whether they have never registered before ,they have lost their cards ,or it is defaced, or they want transfer from one place to another.’’
Bello urged them not to register afresh because it would not help them.
He appealed to residents to patronise centres close to their locations, adding that there was no need for people in the suburbs to come all the way to INEC’s office in Area 10.
He said that the commission on Monday July 25, began special registration for Persons With Disabilities at the designated CVR centres to ensure inclusivity explain that both PWDs and other Nigerian could use the under listed centres.
“The CVR centres remain : City Centre -Diplomatic Park, Area 1 , Gwarinpa GSS Life Camp, Wuse GSS Zone 3 , Kabusa Primary School and Lugbe Primary School.
“Others are Giwa – Gwagwa Primary School, GUI -Gosa Primary School, Karshi- Karshi Development Centre, Orozo – Orozo Primary School.
“The rest are: Nyanya – G.S.S Nyanya , Kubwa- L.E.A Primary School Kubwa, Dutse-Aljaji – L.E.A Primary School Dutse, L.E.A Primary School, Dawaki L.E.A and Primary School, Mpape,” he said
Bello said that the commission had made an arrangement with a Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to make PVC collection easier for citizens at the end of the CVR exercise, using SMS to reach them at their nearest locations.
He added that those who participated in the CVR would get their PVCs by October.
The REC said that the commission had investigated the claim by residents that its staff were charging them money before registering them.
He said that the commission found out that the claim was false because the people involved were not staff of the commission, but those who claimed to be volunteering and the issue had been addressed.
He said that INEC was working to ensure that anything that would mitigate the 2023 elections is taken care of.
Bello said that the 2023 general elections would be much more better than previous elections conducted so far in the country.
He appealed to politicians, electorate and other stakeholders to cooperate with INEC to make it work.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the group described the swift assent as a clear demonstration of political will to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We see the decision by President Bola Tinubu to sign the reworked 2022 Electoral Act into law within a few hours of its passage as a demonstration of political will to ensure an improved electoral process which the new law envisages,” the group said.
The TMSG expressed confidence that the development would enable the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to quickly align its operations with the new provisions in preparation for the 2027 polls.
The group noted that the provision for electronic transmission of results had been contentious but described its codification in the law as a significant step forward.
“So, for the first time, the country’s electoral law would be recognising the use of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the result viewing portal, IREV, which were just INEC guidelines in 2023,” it stated.
According to the TMSG, although the Act provides for electronic transmission of results from polling units to the IREV portal, it also makes room for manual transmission of Form EC8A result sheets as a backup in the event of technological failure.
“Unlike some Nigerians, we do not see anything wrong with the fallback plan but we agree with the President that no matter how beautiful a process is with improved technology, the onus lies on the people manning it to show good faith and ensure that the votes of the people really count at the end of the day,” the statement added.
The group highlighted other key provisions in the amended law, including the streamlining of party primaries to either consensus or direct primaries, early release of funds to INEC, reinforced measures against over-voting, and stiffer sanctions for electoral offences such as falsification of results.
It also pointed out that the mandatory notice period for elections has been reduced from 360 days to 300 days, giving INEC more flexibility in adjusting the timetable for the 2027 elections, especially where it may clash with Ramadan.
The TMSG further observed that the President’s decision to sign the bill days before the forthcoming Area Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) underscores his desire for the law to take immediate effect.
“And by signing the amendment bill a few days before the Area Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is obvious that the President is keen on ensuring that the 2026 Electoral Act takes immediate effect.
“Nigerians would also have an opportunity to see some of the key provisions of the new electoral law become operational, especially the electronic transmission of results,” it said.
The group expressed optimism that the current INEC leadership would leverage the new legal framework to deliver a more credible and widely acceptable electioneering process than in previous electoral cycles.
A senator who represented Taraba Central, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, has declared that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu are not yielding the expected results.
His comment is one of the strongest internal critiques yet from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The comment underscores the growing dissatisfaction within sections of the ruling party over the direction and impact of the administration’s economic reforms amid rising living costs and fiscal pressures across the country.
Mr Yusuf, who served in the Senate between 2015 and 2023 under the platform of the APC, made the remarks during an appearance on national television.
Responding to a question on whether the administration’s economic direction, often referred to as Tinubunomics, was working, Mr Yusuf answered in the contrary.
“For me, it is not working. I am a member of the APC. I would be the last person to hide the facts”, he said.
He said while the government might be operating diligently within its policy structure, the framework itself is ill-suited to Nigeria’s current realities
“Within the policy framework, yes, they are doing their best, but it is not the framework that is suitable for Nigeria at the point in time that President Asiwaju came into power,” he said.
Mr Yusuf criticised the immediate removal of fuel subsidy on the day the president was sworn in, arguing that the decision lacked sufficient consultation and planning.
“I am one of those who say President Asiwaju ought to have waited. Not on the day he was sworn in to say subsidy is gone. On what basis?”, he asked.
He urged broader engagement before major fiscal decisions are taken.
“Sit down with your cabinet, sit down with your ministers, sit down with your advisers,” he said, dismissing the argument that subsidy removal was justified solely on grounds of corruption.
The former lawmaker identified “structural flaws” in the country’s budgeting system, particularly the envelope budgeting model.
“One of the basic problems is that before you budget, you should have a plan. The envelope system we have been operating has been you budget before you plan. That has been a major issue”, he said.
He argued that allocating spending ceilings without aligning them to concrete development strategies inevitably weakens implementation and delivery.
“If you give me an envelope which is contrary to my plan, whether it is plus or minus, there is no way I am going to implement my plan. It is bound to fail,” he said.
Mr Yusuf called for the scrapping of the envelope budgeting system, noting that he had consistently opposed it even during his years in the National Assembly.
“It is not good for us. It is not going to work well for us,” he said.
He further blamed poor capital releases and persistent deficit financing for undermining budget performance over the years.
“We could not meet 60 percent of our capital budget in all these years. No releases. If you make a budget and the release is very poor, there is no way the budget will be executed”, he stated.
According to him, weak fund disbursement mechanisms and reliance on deficit financing have entrenched a cycle of underperformance.
“Our budget ought to have been a surplus budget, but all our budgets have always been deficit financing budgets,” Mr Yusuf added.
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