Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Nasarawa State said it is partnering with the traditional council in the state to boost the success of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration, CVR.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Shehu Wahab, stated this at a meeting with traditional rulers on Tuesday in Lafia.
He noted that the collaboration was to leverage the influence of the traditional institution to encourage eligible citizens to take advantage of the registration exercise.
“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, August 18, while the in-person registration would start on August 25.
He added that INEC officials would be at the designated centres from Mondays to Fridays, excluding public holidays, from 9 am to 3 pm.
“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 area were inadequate and appealed that the exercise be carried out in every electoral ward in the state.
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