INEC: Lifespan of present voters’ card limitless

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the lifespan of the voters’ card is limitless.

Resident Electoral Commissioner for Imo State, Prof. Francis Chukwuemeka Ezeonu, who briefed newsmen in Owerri, said that the present voters’ card supersede the earlier arrangement where voters’ cards are re-printed after every 10 years.

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He said this was possible by the recent technology deployed by the commission, which provided for online registration of voters.

He said the online registration, which started on Monday has already started yielding results as reasonable number of people have registered.

He said the creation of voting units was intentionally made to precede the continuous voters registration so that new polling units would be made available to voters.

Ezeonu added that the new online registration will not eliminate the existing method, rather it will provide alternate method for those who have access to internet facilities, thereby reducing the inconveniences on voters and also reduce the number of voters that would have to queue up at registration centres.

The REC, who decried the recent attacks on INEC offices nationwide, said over eight offices were torched in Imo.

Ezeonu, who disclosed that some voters’ cards were affected by the recent attacks, added that some were retrieved and integrity tests conducted to ensure that they can be readable by the card readers.

The REC enjoined eligible voters in Imo to take advantage of the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise as it could determine future allocation of voting units.