A coalition of accredited election observers has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise beyond its scheduled deadline of tomorrow. The group, in a statement released on Friday night, advised that ending the exercise abruptly would disenfranchise millions of Nigerians who are yet to be captured in the voters’ register.
The observers noted that despite INEC’s efforts, the exercise has been marred by several challenges ranging from inadequate publicity and limited awareness campaigns by political parties and civil society groups, to logistics bottlenecks in parts of the country. They argued that these factors have combined to slow down the process, leaving many citizens, especially first-time voters, unable to register before the close of the window.
Particularly worrisome, the statement said, is the consistently low turnout recorded in some states across the country. States in the South West such as Ondo, and many states in the South East, have witnessed below-average registration figures, partly due to late mobilisation and technical hitches at some registration centres. The observers warned that cutting off the process now would amount to excluding large numbers of eligible citizens from exercising their democratic rights in the next general elections.
“Voter registration is the foundation of credible elections,” the observers declared. “INEC must not allow preventable constraints to deny Nigerians, especially the youth and those in underserved regions, the opportunity to be part of the democratic process.”
They further stressed that an extension of the CVR will not only accommodate those who have been unable to register due to system breakdowns, network failures and inadequate registration centres, but will also strengthen the credibility of the entire electoral process by ensuring wider participation.
The coalition therefore appealed to INEC to take urgent steps to extend the exercise by at least two weeks, to enable more Nigerians of voting age to complete their registration. Such a move, they argued, would send a strong signal that the Commission remains committed to inclusivity, fairness and the broad participation of citizens in the democratic process.
