2019: Voters registration to be suspended 60 days to general elections - INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) would be temporarily suspended 60 days to the commencement of the 2019 general elections.

The commission in a statement issued on Wednesday, January 24, in Abuja by Solomon Soyebi, national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee, said the exercise would be suspended to due to a change in electoral law, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports

Soyebi disclosed that so far over four million Nigerians had been registered across the country, in the exercise that began in 2017.

Soyebi noted: “The nationwide CVR is to afford all eligible Nigerians, 18 years and above, who did not register in the previous exercise, an opportunity to do so. So far over four million have registered across the country.

“The commission wishes to assure all eligible Nigerians that the CVR exercise is designed to continue indefinitely as envisaged by the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

“However, as provided for in Section 9 (5) of the Electoral Act (as amended), the CVR will be temporarily suspended 60 days to the commencement of the next General Elections scheduled for February 2019.

“The exercise will resume after the conclusion of the elections. The commission encourages all eligible Nigerians to register at our offices in all local government headquarters and other officially designated areas across the country between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.”

Soyebi said that full information about the exercise could be obtained at INEC state offices.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had disclosed that it would register 12 new political parties for the 2019 general elections.

The commission’s national commissioner for information and voter education, Deji Soyebi who disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, January 22, said at the moment 68 political parties had been registered while 90 others were at different stages of qualification.