Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has appealed to the people of the South East geopolitical zone to actively participate in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The deputy speaker expressed concerns over the reports of low turnout of Igbo people in the process so far.
According to a document released by INEC on Monday, while the Southwest recorded the highest figures in the first week of the INEC online voter pre-registration exercise, accounting for more than 61 per cent of the 1,379,342 applications received between August 18 and 24, 2025, the Southeast recorded 64,696, the lowest among the six geo-political zones.

The deputy speaker, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, said that the voter exercise is a crucial step in ensuring that the voices of the people are heard.

Decrying the poor statistics of people so far registered, Kalu said that it could have implications for the region’s ability to influence outcomes of future elections.

He stressed that active participation of the region in the process would enable the people to fully exercise their franchise and choose their right leaders during elections.

He encouraged the people to seize the opportunity offered to them by the electoral umpire to visit the registration centres around them and enroll en masse in the ongoing exercise.

“If we want development, we must show we want to be part of the decision-making mechanism and that starts by preparing to vote and be voted for. Beyond party lines, let the region show our strength by the volume of registered voters from the Igbo nation.

“This is an opportunity to be part of the decision-making mechanism of government.
“Development is for everyone and democracy has dividends for participation, so, let’s participate now,” Kalu said.