The Independent National Electoral Commission began the Continuous Voter Registration exercise in Edo State on Monday.
This effort aims to register new voters ahead of the upcoming governorship election scheduled for September 21.
The INEC representative explained that both the CVR and Permanent Voter Card collection would be a 10-day process, running from May 27 to June 5, 2024, from 9 am to 3 pm daily, including weekends.
Despite the launch, the exercise faced opposition from the acting chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State, Jarret Tenebe. On Friday, he called for the cancellation of the CVR due to damage sustained by the APC secretariat and materials intended for the voter registration process.
The head of Voters Education and Publicity for Edo INEC, Timidi Wariowei, responded to these claims, describing the allegations as unfair.
He mentioned that a stakeholders’ meeting on May 16 at the INEC office in Benin had addressed related concerns, dismissing the accusation against the commission.
The CVR and PVC collection were monitored in several local government areas, including Oredo, Egor, and Ikpoba-Okha. At the Ikpoba-Okha registration area, Rhoda Gumus, the INEC National Commissioner overseeing Edo, Delta, and Cross River, expressed her satisfaction with the progress, urging registrants to be patient.
“We have been to Oredo and we are here at the Ikpoba-Okha registration area which we are using as our state head office registration centre because of the flood disaster that happened at our head office on Friday,” she said.
She also noted that the exercise was running smoothly in other areas within and outside Benin, adding, “As you can see, we have registered some people and others are still waiting. The process just started today. It is impressive and commendable.”
State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anugbum Onuoha, assured that INEC was well-prepared for the exercise, despite the flood disaster that destroyed some of its equipment.
“We thank God for the enablement to begin this exercise, having in mind the flood disaster that destroyed some of our equipment on Friday. Due to the flood disaster, we moved our head office registration area to the INEC office at Ikpoba-Okha local government,” he explained.
Onuoha observed a high turnout of new registrants and those seeking to transfer their registration or collect PVCs.
“People expected us to discontinue the exercise but we were prepared even before the flood disaster happened,” he said.
Despite initial network issues, he confirmed that the exercise was proceeding smoothly, “and by the grace of God, the exercise will be successful.”
On Sunday, Jarret Tenebe reiterated his call for INEC to cancel the exercise, citing the damages. At a press conference on Friday in Benin, the APC accused the People’s Democratic Party and INEC of colluding to manipulate the CVR in favor of the PDP, claiming this was an early move to rig the election.
