The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Edo and Ondo States from tomorrow, Wednesday, June 5 to Sunday, June 9, 2024.
The extension of the exercise followed an appeal by stakeholders to permit voters eligible to register.
The apex electoral body also extended the duration of the exercise from 9 am to 5 pm daily.
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This was made known by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, on Tuesday, in a statement.
“Furthermore, the number of centres has been increased beyond the 397 wards and the two State offices in Benin City and Akure to include all the 36 Local Government offices of the Commission in the two States.”More machines will also be deployed to areas identified to have peculiar needs such as difficult terrain or communal issues,” INEC said.
According to the INEC, as of Monday, June 3, 2024, eight days after the commencement of the CVR, a cumulative total of 120,458 new voters have registered.
It added that “of this figure, 55,861 (46.4%) are male while 64,597 (53.6%) are female. Majority of the registered voters (82,003 or 68.8%) are youths (18 -34 years). In terms of occupation, 43,419 or 36.8%) are students while 812 (0.67%) are Persons with Disability (PWDs).
“The public should please note that these are preliminary figures. The final figures will be published on State by State basis and for all categories of registrants at the end of the exercise and after data clean-up using the Automated Biometric Identification System.”
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It, however, urged eligible voters to make use of the extension opportunity to register, transfer or correct personal information on their PVCs as provided by law, adding that “no further extension will be granted by the Commission.”
Edo State governorship election is scheduled to be held on 21 September 2024, while that of Ondo state will be held on Saturday 16 November 2024.
