The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on key stakeholders in Ebonyi to support its efforts in mobilising residents for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the state.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Dr Joseph Chukwu, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Monday.
Chukwu said the commission embarked on grassroots sensitisation in order to mobilise eligible voters to participate in the exercise.
He said that collaboration with major stakeholders would enhance INEC’s drive to get more people, especially those in the local communities, to register.
According to him, the exercise is taking place in the 15 designated centres in the state, with one in each of the 13 local government areas and two at the INEC headquarters.
Chukwu said that the online registration started on June 28, 2021, and was still ongoing, adding that the state had 171 registration areas with 2,946 polling units.
“We have captured at least 79,808 voters in the online version of the exercise while 62,508 have completed the registration by doing physical capturing.”
“We appeal to key stakeholders, including the media, to assist in mobilising prospective voters that hat yet to register to visit any centre nearest to them.”
“Also, the exercise will enable those whose permanent voter cards (PVCs) have been defaced to update, while those who lost theirs can obtain a new one.”
“The exercise equally provides an opportunity for the collection of unclaimed PVCs by their owners,” Chukwu said.
He debunked the rumour in some quarters that PVCs issued in 2011 were no longer valid and usable and urged the Ebonyi electorate to discountenance the rumour.
He reaffirmed the resolve of the commission to conduct credible, free, fair and transparent elections in 2023 in Ebonyi.