The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday, commenced the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Edo State.
The exercise is meant to capture would-be voters ahead of the governorship election on 21 September.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun said in Abuja that both the CVR and the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection would be a 10-day exercise from 27 May to 5 June 2024, from 9 am to 3 pm daily, including weekends.
This is despite a call from the state acting chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarret Tenebe, on Friday, to cancel the exercise due to the damage to its secretariat, materials and equipment meant for CVR.
The state INEC’s head of Voters Education and Publicity, Mr. Timidi Wariowei said it is unfair to lay such an allegation against the election umpire.
Tenebe said the stakeholders meeting held on 16 May at the INEC office in Benin was meant to take care of issues relating, noting that it was wrong to lay such an accusation on the doorstep of the commission.
The CVR exercise monitored in Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba-Okha local government showed that PVC collection was also ongoing side-by-side with the continuous voter registration exercise.
At the Ikpoba-Okha registration area, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Edo, Delta and Cross River, Rhoda Gumus expressed satisfaction with the exercise, while urging the registrants to be patient, adding that they will all be registered.
Gumus said: “We have been to Oredo and we are here at the Ikpoba-Okha registration area which we are using as our state head office registration centre because of the flood disaster that happened at our head office on Friday.
“We are in touch with other registration areas within and outside Benin and the exercise is going on smoothly. As you can see, we have registered some people and others are still waiting. The process just started today. It is impressive and commendable”.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Anugbum Onuoha said that INEC was well prepared for the exercise, adding that the flood disaster that destroyed some of the commission’s equipment could not stop the exercise.
Onuoha said: ” We thank God for the enablement to begin this exercise, having in mind the flood disaster that destroyed some of our equipment on Friday. Due to the flood disaster, we moved our head office registration area to the INEC office at Ikpoba-Okha local government.
“We are here and witnessing a large turnout of people who are here as either new registrants or to transfer their registration or for PVC collection. INEC is prepared for this exercise and nothing will make us fail. People expected us to discontinue the exercise but we were prepared even before the flood disaster happened.
“Yes, we had some initial network problems but it has been resolved and the exercise is going on smoothly and by the grace of God, the exercise will be successful”.
