The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has highlighted the strong turnout of Nigerians, especially young people, in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) as a clear sign that citizens still trust the electoral process.
Responding to recent claims that Nigerians have lost faith in the country’s electoral system, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, dismissed those allegations as unfounded and not backed by evidence.
Oyekanmi pointed out that the CVR, which kicked off on August 18 with online pre-registration, clearly demonstrates that people continue to believe in the system.
He shared that within just seven hours of the CVR portal going live on August 18—from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm—69,376 Nigerians had already pre-registered, with a nearly even split between males (33,803 or 48.7%) and females (35,573 or 51.3%).
“By August 24, just one week after the online pre-registration began, a total of 1,379,342 people had signed up online. If the Commission had allowed the registration to be completed entirely online, that number would have remained final. However, everyone who pre-registered online is required to visit their chosen registration center in person to have their biometrics and other details captured, in line with the Electoral Act 2022, specifically Sections 9(7) and 10(2).
“By September 1, two weeks into the online pre-registration, the number of Nigerians registered online had grown to 2,532,062,” he explained.
Oyekanmi also mentioned that within the first week of the in-person registration starting on August 25, 72,274 citizens had either completed their online pre-registration or registered directly in person.
By the fifth week, on September 21, an impressive total of 5,385,060 Nigerians had submitted their details through the CVR portal.”
Beyond the CVR numbers, Oyekanmi highlighted that recent elections, especially the 2023 general election, have shown notable progress in Nigeria’s electoral system.
He pointed out that the election resulted in the most diverse National Assembly since democracy was restored in 1999, with several parties winning seats at different levels of government.
Oyekanmi also noted that recent bye-elections reflect continued trust from Nigerians in the electoral process.
“Ironically, some of INEC’s strongest critics are also leading calls for electoral reforms to have the commission oversee local government elections. They can’t keep taking both sides of the argument,” Oyekanmi remarked.
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