INEC’s early voter registration is a good sign, but there are issues

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Wednesday, announced that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will commence in the first quarter of 2021 ahead of the 2023 general election. The announcement was made by the Chairman of the Electoral body, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, during a budget defence session with the Senate Committee on INEC.

The proposed early commencement of voter registration is a good sign, coming shortly after the #EndSARS protest which indicates that the effort of the youth is gradually paying off. This increases faith in a new Nigeria that may emerge in the near future with the new development.

There are, however, concerns about the tedious process Nigerians often have to undergo during the voter registration exercise; which constitutes part of the reasons why some Nigerians end up getting disenfranchised at the end of the day.

The long queues, for instance, is one of the reasons why some Nigerians would rather stay back home and miss out in the registration exercise. Many Nigerians have complained about how their efforts to partake in the last voter registration exercise yielded no fruit as they had to eventually return home due to the long queues; while some prefer not to register at all for the same reason. Many others, who were able to register, also complained about how long they had to wait before they could register.

Another issue Nigerians complain about is the stressful process of travelling across states to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC). In the last general election, some people were disenfranchised because they could not obtain their PVC as they had relocated from their registered polling centres. 

The pattern of obtaining PVCs and casting votes at designated polling units is a problem that INEC needs to address before the 2023 general elections to ensure that the voting process is hitch-free. Even though INEC has made provision for Nigerians to transfer their PVCs upon relocation from their registered polling centres, it is not enough to address the issues the Nigerian electorates are grappling with. Other issues must be addressed as well to make the registration and voting process smoother.

The electoral body can leverage technology to make the voter registration process easier. Online registration, for instance, will make the registration process smoother and faster because people will be able to register from the comfort of their homes and the issue of long queues would be solved. INEC may also consider doing the main registration online with a follow-up verification at the accredited INEC centres.

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