INEC to commence voter registration April 27

Delta PDP mobilises, to reconcile aggrieved members

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has planned to begin the continuous voter registration exercise on Thursday, April 27, 2017 to enable those without their voter’s cards to do so to partake in the forthcoming general elections.

It says it has finalised preparations for the nationwide continuous voter registration exercise, which will begin at the local council level. Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, told journalists yesterday in Abuja during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) that the commission was committed to ensuring that every eligible voter is not denied their franchise right hence the period given for the exercise.

Yakubu said the RECs are to furnish the commission with the relevant information, including challenges of logistics to enable it succeed in its quest of ensuring a hitch-free exercise.

He said the methodology for the exercise was in two phases with one aimed at voter education and the other on public enlightenment. According to the chairman of the electoral umpire, the voter registration exercise will continue at the local council level till few months to the conduct of the 2019 general elections and will be later scaled down to wards and polling units to ensure an all-inclusive exercise.

The continuous voter registration exercise, according to Yakubu, is mainly targeted at those seeking transfer to other places, those who were under-age during the last exercise, Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) and those who lost their cards.

He urged the RECs to ensure the availability of hard copy of the previous exercise in the case of the IDPs so as to avoid multiple registration. Meanwhile, in its determination to improve on the number of registered voters and increase its votes count in forthcoming elections, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oshimili South Local Council has set up committees to mobilise residents of the area to participate in the voter registration exercise.

The chairman of the party in the area, Ogbueshi Dada Okonji, who announced this yesterday during an enlarged executives and stakeholders’ meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Asaba, stated that besides mobilisation of eligible voters to go and register or revalidate their registration, the committee would also help to educate the people on the need to own a voter card.

He enjoined the party executives, members of the committees, landlords and all PDP faithful to assist in educating the residents. The ward chairman, Mr. Tanko Awipi, said the essence of the meeting was to brainstorm on the way forward for the party in the ward.

He expressed optimism that all grey areas within the party structure would be addressed.