In respect of the forthcoming governorship election in Edo state the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR)
This exercise commenced on Monday, 27th May 2024 with the aims to register prospective voters ahead of the election scheduled for September 21.
The CVR and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection will be a 10-day exercise between May 27 to June 5, 2024, operating daily from 9 am to 3 pm, including weekends.
Despite calls from the acting chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarret Tenebe, to cancel the exercise due to damage to the party’s secretariat and equipment intended for CVR, the exercise proceeded as planned.
Tenebe’s request followed a stakeholders meeting on May 16 at the INEC office in Benin, which was meant to address related issues. However, Edo INEC’s head of Voters Education and Publicity, Timidi Wariowei, refuted the allegations, calling them unfair.
The CVR exercise was monitored in Oredo, Egor, and Ikpoba-Okha local governments, where PVC collection was also ongoing alongside voter registration. INEC National Commissioner Rhoda Gumus, overseeing Edo, Delta, and Cross River, expressed satisfaction with the process and urged registrants to be patient, assuring that everyone would be registered.
Gumus highlighted that the registration area at Ikpoba-Okha is temporarily serving as the state head office registration center due to a flood disaster at the main office on Friday. She reported that the exercise was proceeding smoothly in various locations within and outside Benin.
State Resident Electoral Commissioner Anugbum Onuoha confirmed INEC’s preparedness for the exercise despite the flood disaster that damaged some of the commission’s equipment. Onuoha emphasized that the exercise would continue as planned and reported a large turnout of new registrants, those seeking to transfer their registration, and individuals collecting PVCs. He acknowledged initial network issues but assured that they had been resolved.
Contrarily, Jarret Tenebe of the APC issued a statement on Sunday, urging INEC to cancel the CVR due to the damage to its materials and equipment. The APC accused the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and INEC of colluding to manipulate the CVR in favor of the PDP, alleging that this manipulation was part of a larger scheme to rig the upcoming election.
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