The nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will commence across the 774 local government areas of the federation by 28th June 2019, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.
The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Thursday in Abuja at a news conference said NIN would not be made compulsory for registration.
Yakubu said the exercise which will be conducted nationwide effective from June 28 will be carried out throughout this year and the third quarter of next year.
He also revealed that additional 1000 registration centres have been added to the existing 1,146 registered centre.
He said that the exercise would take off in Anambra State ahead of the governorship election slated for 6 November in the state.
The continuous voter registration exercise was temporarily suspended on 31 August 2018 ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The exercise ought to have commenced but for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Explaining why NIN would not be made mandatory, Yakubu said it “is not going to be mandatory for voter registration.
“This is for the simple reason that we are operating on the basis of the law establishing INEC.
“Section 10 of the Electoral Act list the means of identification to be presented by prospective registrants for the purpose of voter registration.
“This includes birth certificate, international passport, national identity card, driver’s license or any other document that will prove the identity, age and nationality of the applicant and the national identity card is only one of the means of identification provided for under Section 10 subsection 2 of the Electoral Act.
“We cannot single that out and make it mandatory when the law did not say so,” Yakubu said.
According to him, the commission has learnt from the experience of the nationwide NIN registration and is also working with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), where INEC is even expecting a bigger crowd in the CVR.
