WorldStage Newsonline—The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said that a total of 1,854,859 PVCs have been printed and will be ready for collection by actual owners in person immediately after the Easter holiday.
The commission explained that after completing a data clean up of registrants, it had printed 1,390,519 PVCs for genuine new registrants, with addition to 464,340 PVCs for verified applicants for transfer or replacement of cards have also been printed.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu who made the disclosure at media briefing in Abuja, said no PVC will be collected by proxy, adding that the available cards only cover those who registered in the First and Second Quarters of the exercise.
Prof Yakubu, said with the impressive number of new registrants signifying the eagerness of Nigerians to vote in the forthcoming elections, the troubling issue of invalid registration still persists which were detected while cleaning up the latest registration data.
“As against the AFIS used in previous exercises, the Commission introduced the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) which is a more comprehensive and robust system, involving not just fingerprint identification but also the facial biometric recognition.
“Sadly, it seems that many registrants, either out of ignorance that they do not need to re-register if they had done so before, or a belief that our systems will not detect this infraction, have gone out to register again. This is despite repeated warnings by the Commission against this illegal action. In addition, there are also registrants whose data were incomplete and did not meet our Business Rules for inclusion in the register. Both categories i.e. the failure of ABIS and incomplete data constitute invalid registrations. Presently, nearly 45% of completed registrations nationwide are invalid, rising to as high as 60% or more in some States.
“This infraction happened in all States of the Federation. No State is immune from it. These invalid registrations will not be included in the Register of Voters. In our commitment to transparency, the distribution of the registration figures, including the percentages of valid and invalid registrations on State-by-State basis, will be made available to you at this press conference. The same information will be uploaded to the Commission’s website and social media platforms immediately.”
According to him, the development was worrisome because of the time and resources expended in handling these cases.
“Even more disturbing are the strong indications that some of our staff may be complicit in facilitating these infractions, notwithstanding stern warnings. Consequently, the Commission is reviewing reports on such staff and has commenced a detailed investigation which may include the prosecution of those found culpable. Specific registrants associated with these infractions by our staff may also face prosecution in line with Sections 22 and 23 of the Electoral Act 2022,” he said.
He requested that political parties, the media, civil society organizations and the general public to assist the Commission in educating Nigerians about the problem of invalid registration.
“As we have repeatedly explained, if you had at any time in the past registered to vote, you do not have to reregister. If you have registered in the past, you should not get involved in the CVR again unless you have had problems with your PVC or fingerprint recognition during accreditation in any previous election. In that case, all you need to do is to revalidate your registration by visiting a designated registration centre to recapture your fingerprints and picture,” he said.
“Other registered persons who may also get involved in the CVR are those whose PVCs are missing or defaced; those whose details need correction and those seeking to transfer from their current places of voting to other locations. These cases do not involve new registration. Apart from these, the CVR is essentially for Nigerians who have attained the age of 18 years and have not registered earlier.”
According to him, the Commission was establishing a dedicated Help Desk for people who need information about the CVR.
“Kindly use the Help Desk if you are in doubt about your registration status or whether you should register or not. Furthermore, citizens who have no access to the internet can ask the Registration Officer at the Registration Centre before proceeding. You can contact the Help Desk by phone as well as our various social media handles,” he said.
“After completing the data clean up, the Commission has printed 1,390,519 PVCs for genuine new registrants. In addition, 464,340 PVCs for verified applicants for transfer or replacement of cards have also been printed. Consequently, a total of 1,854,859 PVCs are now ready. They will be delivered to our State offices across the country over the Easter holiday.
“They will be available for collection by the actual owners in person immediately after the holiday. No PVC will be collected by proxy. I must reiterate that the available cards only cover those who registered in the First and Second Quarters of the exercise. The Commission wishes to assure those who registered between January and March 2022 as well as those who are doing so right now that their PVCs will be ready for collection long before the 2023 General Election.”
