By The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the extension of the continuous voter registration (CVR) by two weeks.
The decision was made at an extraordinary session held on Friday, where INEC discussed the suspension of the exercise, among other issues.
The electoral body had earlier fixed June 30 as the deadline for voter registration ahead of the 2023 polls. It, however, later extended the exercise by two weeks.
Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, confirmed the new extension, in a statement on Friday.
With this development, the ongoing CVR will now end on July 31, 2022.
Okoye disclosed that the voter registration has also been extended to eight hours daily from 9am to 5pm instead of the current duration of six hours daily. The exercise will also include weekends as against only weekdays.
“We appeal for the patience and understanding of all Nigerians as we conclude the exercise which will resume after the 2023 General Election,” the statement read in part.
“We observed that following the continuation of the exercise beyond 30th June 2022, many of the registration centres recorded low turnout of prospective registrants.”
The electoral umpire also urged Nigerians to take advantage of the new extension to register for their permanent voter cards (PVCs).
“With this two-week extension, we appeal to eligible citizens not to wait until the last few days before they inundate the centres again to register.
“We appreciate the interest of Nigerians to register and participate in the electoral process and once again reiterate our commitment to credible and transparent elections. This can only be achieved with the support and cooperation of all Nigerians,” he added.
