INEC Chairman: No Eligible Nigerian Will Be Left Out During Election And Voting.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has stated that the Commission will do everything possible to guarantee that all eligible Nigerians who want to register as voters during the current Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) operation receive the chance.
The INEC Chairman also debunked the rumor making the rounds that the Commission was deliberately preventing registrants from a particular section of the country from registering in the current exercise.
Prof. Yakubu responded to calls for the CVR to be extended due to an increase in the number of young people flocking to the Commission's offices around the country to register, saying, "We are concerned like other Nigerians." We appreciate the fact that young people and Nigerians in general are flocking to register in significant numbers.
“For us, it’s a measure of confidence that people have in the system and that is why they are coming out to register. We’ll never let young people of Nigeria down. Whatever it takes, we will ensure that those who are seeking to register have the opportunity to do so.
“There are three messages I want you to emphasize: encourage young people to register, but that is only the first step. The second step is that, when they register, they have to collect their PVCs, because registering is one thing, collecting the PVC is another. You can’t go to the polling unit on the day of election and say here I come INEC, I’ve registered. You won’t vote until you’re in possession of your PVC. Then, they should use the PVCs, come out and vote on the day of election. The message consistently is: vote, not fight. Register, collect your PVCs and vote. They have a friend in INEC”.
INEC installed voter registration counters at town hall sites to register first-time voters during each town hall meeting as part of a drive to increase the number of young people on the voter rolls. Incredibly, INEC registered over 23,000 students between May and November 2018 during town hall sessions.
Tu Face Idibia, Waje, Mr Macaronic, Small Doctor, Falz, Warri Pikin, Omawunmi, Skiibii, Broda Shaggi, and Uti Nwachukwu are among the guests at the dinner.
