INEC Sets August 18 for Voter Registration ,Warns Against Underage and Duplicate Entries

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will begin on August 18, with a strong warning against underage and multiple registrations.

The commission made this known through the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kebbi State, Abubakar Sarkin-Pawa-Dambo, during a media briefing held in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.

The CVR is open to Nigerians who have reached voting age and want to register to vote in future elections. According to INEC, online pre-registration will begin on August 18, while in-person registration at designated centres will follow on August 25. New voters are advised to either register online or visit INEC offices in their local government areas to complete the process.

Sarkin-Pawa-Dambo also clarified that the registration is not only for new voters. It covers those who have lost their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), those whose cards are damaged, or people who have changed their residential address. Others who want to correct details like their name or date of birth are also encouraged to take part in the exercise.

He stated that registration in Kebbi State will take place at all INEC Area Offices from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding weekends and public holidays.

As of the 2023 general elections, Kebbi had registered over two million eligible voters. Out of this, 1,096,449 were male and 935,592 were female. The state has 225 Registration Areas and 3,743 Polling Units spread across its three senatorial zones and nine federal constituencies.

The electoral body also disclosed that more than 97 percent of registered voters in the state have collected their PVCs. However, some uncollected cards still remain in INEC offices. The commission said it would announce a date for their collection in due course and urged voters who haven’t collected theirs to be on alert.

INEC reminded the public that any attempt to register more than once, register for someone else, or present false information will be treated as an offence and dealt with accordingly.