BY FRANCIS KADIRI
The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu on Friday assured that new polling units across the country will guarantee better access to voters during elections.
He said the cooperation from the public during the month-long consultations on expansion of voter access to Polling Units, as well as in the actual process of converting the Voting Points and Voting Point Settlements into independent Polling Units which was accomplished in just four months after 25 years of several unsuccessful attempts.
The Chairman was optimistic that the new polling units will guarantee better access to voters during elections, adding that the successful conclusion of exercise is a testimony to what the Commission and stakeholders can achieve when they work together in productive partnership.
‘We are now ready to resume the CVR on Monday next week. We have acquired all the equipment for the exercise, updated our registration software and planned for the deployment of 5,346 staff to the 2,673 registration centres nationwide, he said, adding that among the equipment for the exercise is a new registration machine called the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED).
Discussing the peculiarity of the device, the chairman said: ‘This device is built around the concept of a tablet computer and will replace the lap-top based old Direct Data Capture Machine (DDCM).
‘I am glad to say that our engineers designed the IVED in-house before it was fabricated abroad. It is more mobile and efficient than the DDCM and could also be deployed to other activities, particularly the accreditation of voters during elections.’
He expressed the determination of the Commission to serve Nigerians better during the CVR, stating that ‘in response to repeated calls by stakeholders, the Commission is introducing a dedicated portal for online registration.’
‘The idea is for intending registrants to commence the process online by filling the forms and uploading their pictures and required documents, and then make an appointment on the web portal for a date and time to visit an INEC State or Local Government Area (LGA) office to give their fingerprints and complete the registration.
Those who are already registered as voters can carry out all the other activities such as transfers, correction of personal details and replacement of damaged or defaced Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) online.
‘We hope that through this portal, we shall reduce overcrowding at our registration centres, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, make the registration processes generally easier, thereby giving Nigerians a pleasant electoral experience.
‘The portal will go live in the early hours of Monday 28th June 2021. However, I must quickly reiterate that the online registration is a public service and therefore free of charge.’
