Ahead of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to register new voters who have recently turned 18,Daily Trust reports.
Our reporter observed the exercise in the Oredo, Egor, and Ikpoba-Okha local government areas, where prospective voters were collecting their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs).
During a press briefing on Monday at the Ikpoba-Okha registration area in Benin, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, the INEC National Commissioner overseeing Edo, Delta, and Cross River, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the exercise. She urged registrants to remain patient, assuring them that everyone would be registered.
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“We have visited Oredo, and now we are at the Ikpoba-Okha registration area, which we are using as our state head office registration center due to the flood disaster that affected our head office on Friday. So far, we are in contact with other registration areas within and outside Benin, and the exercise is proceeding smoothly. As you can see, we have registered some individuals, and others are still waiting. The process, which started today, is running smoothly and is impressive and commendable,” she stated.
Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), highlighted INEC’s preparedness for the exercise, despite the flood that damaged some of their equipment.
“We are here witnessing a large turnout of people, either new registrants, those transferring their registration, or collecting their PVCs,” he said. He emphasized that INEC is fully prepared for the exercise and that nothing would hinder its success.
He acknowledged initial network problems but noted that they had been resolved, ensuring that the exercise was progressing smoothly and would be successful.
