The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nasarawa State has announced a partnership with the state’s Traditional Council to enhance the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
Dr Shehu Wahab, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, made the announcement on tuesday during a meeting with traditional rulers in Lafia. He noted that the collaboration was designed to leverage the influence of traditional institutions to encourage eligible citizens to participate in the registration exercise.
The partnership underscores INEC’s commitment to improving civic engagement and ensuring that more residents are registered to vote ahead of future elections.
“Your influence and guardians are essential in promoting awareness about the registration and ensuring that every eligible voter is registered.
“As a commission, we are leveraging technology to make the process more efficient and secure for everybody, including persons living with disabilities,” he said.
Wahab said that the online pre-registration had commenced on Monday, Aug. 18, while the in-person registration would start on Aug. 25.
He added that INEC officials would be at the designated centres from Mondays to Fridays, excluding public holidays, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
“For now, two machines have been deployed for registration at our headquarters in Lafia and at our offices in the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
“However, as the process progresses, we will deploy more machines,” he said.
Wahab said that the registration is free and any staff caught extorting money from the public under whatever guise would be sanctioned in line with the law.
He urged INEC staff involved in the exercise to avoid any unlawful practices that would tarnish the image of the commission.
He, therefore, called on members of the public to report any staff demanding money for fuel or logistics to the commission for action.
According to him, all necessary arrangements and provisions have been made for the exercise.
On his part, Retired Justice Sidi Bage, the Emir of Lafia and Chairman, Nasarawa State Traditional Council, appreciated the REC and his team for recognising them for the engagement.
Bage explained that the traditional institution would collaborate and support the commission to ensure the success of the exercise.
The traditional ruler, however, raised concerns that the two machines provided to every local government areas were inadequate and appealed that the exercise be carried out in every electoral ward in the state.
