By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed worries over the low turnout of eligible voters in the first quarter of the ongoing Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR) exercise in Ogun State.
According to the electoral body, the state recorded the lowest registration of voters in Southwest compared to its neighbouring states – Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti.
This was disclosed by the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ogun State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, at a briefing with journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital.
“As at the end of the first quarter of the online registration on September 21, 2021, only 46,937 registered online with 12,231 completing their registrations compared to Ondo, Ekiti, and Osun States,” he lamented.
According to him, 46,937 residents of the state registered online while only 12,231 completed their physical registration, unlike in Osun State where 63,259 completed voters’ registration was recorded, Ondo, 20,632 and 19,128 voters in Ekiti state.
He said, “It has been observed that the level of participation of eligible citizens of the state in the first quarter of the CVR exercise both online and physical was very low.
“Compared to other states in the country particularly across the southwest zones where states like Ekiti, Ondo, and Osun states that have less population of Nigerians compared to Ogun State performed far better.”
Urging eligible voters in the state to seize the opportunity provided by the CVR, Mr Agbaje tasked relevant stakeholders including the traditional rulers, religious bodies, and political leaders, and the media to enlighten the people on the importance of the exercise towards the 2023 general elections.
Mr Agbaje said, “At this juncture, I want to inform the good people of Ogun State that the second quarter of the CVR will commence on Monday, October 4, 2021, and will end on Monday, December 20, 2021, and all those that are eligible and are yet to register are once again enjoined to take advantage of the exercise to enrol as voters.”
“For emphasis, those that are eligible to participate in the CVR are Nigerians of the following categories: Those who are 18years and above and have not registered before, Registered voters who have had any problem during accreditation for any past election, with either their PVCs or their fingerprints not being read by the Smart Card Reader (SCR).
“Registered voters who want to correct issues with their data, such as misspelt names, dates of birth, etc, need not register afresh but apply for correction and replacement., and Registered voters whose PVCs are lost or damaged need not register afresh but apply for a replacement,” he explained.
