The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any further extension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, saying it must begin preparations for next year’s general elections.
INEC’s Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the commission had already stretched its timetable by granting a two-week extension before the exercise ended, but warned that any additional delay would affect critical election preparations.
He acknowledged that some eligible voters were unable to register before the deadline but said the commission had no choice but to close the exercise.
“So we just have to stop the exercise. So for those who are unable to meet up, well, I’ll say we are sorry. There’s nothing we can do for now,” Ifogah said.
The decision comes despite calls from opposition political parties and civil society organisations urging the electoral body to keep the registration window open to allow more Nigerians to enrol.
Ifogah explained that the commission now requires sufficient time to process and prepare the national voters’ register before the polls.
“Even the extension by two weeks we gave is going to put us under pressure as a commission in preparing the register before the election,” he said.
He added that INEC’s election timetable requires more than 75 days after the close of registration to compile, clean and finalise the register for use during the elections.
The commission maintains that adhering to its schedule is essential to ensuring a credible and orderly electoral process.
