May 13, (THEWILL)- The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) for the Edo and Ondo State governorship elections.
INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who made the announcement on Monday, during a consultative meeting with political party leaders ahead of the state governorship elections, said the CVR in Edo and Ondo States will take place simultaneously from Monday, May 27 to Wednesday, June 5 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm daily, including the weekend.
Yakubu noted that the CVR in the two states will enable eligible citizens, who are not registered voters, to do so.
He said those who are registered voters also have the opportunity to transfer their registration from other states of the federation to Edo and Ondo States or from one location to another within the two states.
“Let me reiterate that the CVR is only open to new registrants and those who seek to transfer their registration,” Yakubu said, while reiterating that double or multiple registration is illegal.
In addition to the registration of voters, the Commission will also make available the uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for collection during the CVR, Yakubu stated.
“In the coming days, the list of uncollected PVCs will be published in our offices in the two States and simultaneously uploaded to our website. Again, we encourage those who have not collected their PVCs in the two states to seize the opportunity to do so,” he added.
Meanwhile, INEC has announced the deadline for campaign activities by political parties for the Edo governorship election.
Yakubu said the campaign activities, which commenced on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, will conclude at midnight on Thursday, September 19, 2024, in compliance with legal provisions.
The INEC Chairman urged political parties to strictly adhere to the deadline for uploading the list of polling and collation agents to the dedicated portal.
“I urge you to adhere strictly to the deadline. Political parties have been given 23 days (over three weeks) from the end of primaries to prepare and submit the list of only two candidates (a government candidate and a running mate) to the Commission. There will be no extension of time,” Yakubu added.
The Edo State governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, September 21, 2024, while the Ondo governorship election will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
