The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will commence a nationwide continuous voter registration (CVR) on June 28 across the 774 local government areas of the federation.
The chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this on Thursday in Abuja at a news conference.
This is as he also said the National Identification Number (NIN) would not be a mandatory criterion for the CVR.
Yakubu said the exercise, which will be conducted nationwide from June 28, will be carried out throughout this year and the third quarter of next year.
He said the exercise would take off in Anambra State in view of the governorship election slated for 6 November in the state.
He recalled that the CVR took place continuously from 27 April 2017 and was only temporarily suspended on 31 August 2018 to enable the commission to prepare data for the production of the Register of Voters and printing of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for the 2019 general elections.
The INEC boss said the CVR could not recommence in 2020 due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the second reason is the commission’s determination to expand voter access to Polling Units (PUs); while the third was because the commission decided to introduce a new voter registration equipment and technology.
Asked if the National Identity Number (NIN) would be made mandatory for the CVR, the INEC boss said that would not be the case.
He, however, explained that the NIN could be used at the point of registration as part of the means of identification.
