Onyekachi Eze, ABUJA
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said a cumulative total of 120,458 new voters have registered within eight days, in the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise in Edo and Ondo States.
The commission had called for special CVR exercise in the two states because of the governorship election holding later in the year.
INEC National Commissioner Sam Olumekun, in a statement on Tuesday, said the breakdown of the figure showed that 55,861 (or 46.4 per cent) are male while 64,597 (or 53.6 per cent) are female.
“Majority of the registered voters (82,003 or 68.8 per cent) are youths (18 -34 years).
“In terms of occupation, 43,419 (or 36.8%) are students while 812 (or 0.67 per cent) are persons with disability (PWDs),” he explained.
Olumekun who is Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, further noted that these were preliminary figures, stating that the final figures would be published on state by state basis and for all categories of registrants at the end of the exercise, and after data clean-up using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
He disclosed that INEC after its meeting on Tuesday, extended the CVR exercise, which was scheduled to end on Wednesday, June 5, to Sunday, June 9, to enable more eligible persons to register.
“Similarly, the duration of the exercise is extended from 9.00am – 5.00pm daily,” he further announced.
The National Commissioner stated that
the number of centres has been increased beyond the 397 wards and the two state offices in Benin City and Akure, to include all the 36 Local Government offices of the commission in the two states.
“More machines will also be deployed to areas identified to have peculiar needs such as difficult terrain or communal issues,” he said.
He appealed to eligible voters to seize the opportunity of the extension to register, transfer or correct personal information on their permanent voter’s cards (PVCs) as provided by law.
“No further extension will be granted by the commission,” Olumekun warned.