Cautious Optimism As INEC Braces Up For CVR Exercise

•CUPP, Ajasin, others task commission

There are cautious optimism and strong reservations by a preponderance of stakeholders, as the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) braces up for a resumed Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise across the country.

Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECS) have been upbeat lately, trying to reawake the consciousness of Nigerians on the programme, beginning this week ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a budget defence session with the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters at the National Assembly Complex on January 10, 2025, INEC chairman sought an increased budgetary allocation to facilitate the commission’s operations in the fiscal year.

Citing the financial constraints INEC witnessed in the 2024 fiscal year, he said the commission that INEC was allocated N40 billion as it has had to approach the Executive for supplementary funding of N10.5 billion, primarily to conduct the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

To tackle the challenges, he proposed a budget of N126 billion for 2025, highlighting five key areas requiring immediate funding to include off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun; and Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory require significant financial input; CVR, preparations for 2027 elections and replace damaged voter cards.

Some stakeholders, among them a former Minority Leader in the House of Representatives and legal practitioner, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune on the resumed CVR, Dr Wunmi Bewaji, expressed doubts on the exercise, describing the move as archaic and a sustained pattern of waste of public fund.

He premised his position on the failure of the commission to leverage modern technology and avail itself of the data at the disposal of government agencies such like the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC).

“It is quite unfortunate that after 26 years of Nigeria’s democracy, we are still talking about voter registration by INEC. That approach is obsolete. It is archaic in a country we have various forms of individual date available like you have the driver’s licence, BVN, and NIN.

“At this moment in time where Nigeria now has a central identity management system in the name of the national identity commission, INEC ought to grow. I do not expect we should the ritual of doing voter register by the commission.

“The data of the average Nigerian is with the NIMC. So, one would expect that for voters who were probably at the last general election were below the voting age of 18, who now attained that age, it should be a seamless exercise whereby the INEC would access that data with the NIMC and use the data to contact those individuals to go to the nearest office around their areas to collect their cards.

“Every electoral cycle, we waste billions of naira in conducting a useless voter registration exercise. It’s wrong and this has to stop. The commission has to evolve; it has to grow. This archaic manner of conducting election has to stop. I believe we should deploy technology. It is available; the average Nigerian has BVN, NIN and the data is there and it will make for a more effective and efficient system to run and it will also save us a lot of cost.

“Take for example, the case of NELFUND. It is dealing with hundreds of institutions. What the agency said was that for a student to access its portal; that he should put in his data and NELFUND would collect the data from their respective schools and match that with the one that the student has provided on the portal.

“It is as simple as that. NELFUND is not setting up a department in any institution or school. So, when data is available, we make use of it. We should leave the area of identity management to the NIMC and all the other agencies should be able to access that as it is being done all over the world. So the ongoing exercise by INEC is archaic,” Bewaji said.

“My conclusion is that we need to reform INEC. We need an INEC that will be able to use technology, which will be able to leverage on technology; that will be able to use modern tools to conduct elections, to supervise political parties and other statutory functions, not an INEC that is stuck in the past. It is not going to help us. We need to modernize the commission. INEC needs to evolve.”

A step to deepen democratic participation —COSEYL

The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) described CVR exercise by the INEC as a critical step toward deepening democratic participation.

The president general of COSEYL, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, however, lamented that some recurring issues have always undermined the exercise in the South East.

He identified some of them to include security challenges, disenfranchisement, intimidation and harassment and shot registration window.

Ibem pointed out that in some parts of the South East security challenges discourage people from visiting registration centers and disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters.

According to him, there are fears that technical hitches, equipment shortages, or deliberate under-deployment of INEC staff to the South East may result in fewer people being registered compared to other zones.

Our only fear is apathy —CUPP

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) claimed that Nigerians are more disappointed in the current political situation, particularly in the federal administration than in INEC.

This sentiment, according to the spokesman of CUPP, Comrade Mark Adebayo, stemmed from bad governance, insecurity, widespread poverty and food crisis Nigerians are confronted with since the administration came into office in May 2023.

He projected a sharp decline in the turnout of eligible voters for the exercise while blaming the trend to voter registration apathy, bad governance and disappointment in the administration.

He recalled: “Our only fear is voter registration apathy. Not many Nigerians are willing to exercise their civic responsibilities. They are disappointed by the political situation in the country. This is because of bad governance, failed electoral promises and leadership failure.

He stressed that eligible voters are no longer keen on participating in electoral processes due to a loss of confidence in government.

He stated: “I’m not trying to be pessimistic but if we are able to get 10 percent of the eligible voters registered then we are lucky. INEC is likely to register far lesser than 10 percent of the total number of eligible voters registered.

“There is a difference between voter apathy and voter registration apathy. Eligible voters in Nigeria are no longer keen on registering to vote because they believe they believe their aspirations and expectations are met under the administration they put in place.”

INEC must shun ethno-religious biases —SYDF

Coordinator, Southern Youths Development Forum (SYDF), Pastor Bassey James, has advised the INEC to engage the security agencies for effective coverage of areas with security challenges.

He urged the commission to shun ethno-religious biases, nepotism and tribalism while calling on its leadership to be patriotic in the discharge of the responsibilities before them.

He said: “I’m encouraging the INEC to ensure that the exercise extends to all the nooks and crannies of the country. No Nigerian must be disenfranchised because voter apathy is gradually becoming an issue in Nigeria’s political system.”

Speaking on the security challenges vis-à-vis the exercise, he noted: “Unfortunately, many areas in Nigeria have security challenges. The INEC should engage the security agencies to ensure that the affected areas are fully covered. We need to have stable transition and that is only when we can say we have democracy in Nigeria.”

Lets watch against importation of people, underage children —Ajasin

A chieftain of Afenifere, Chief Tokunbo Ajasin, in his view, said: “I eexpect INEC to continuously update the voter register particularly for those attaining the voting age.

“I hope there is no importation of people from neighbouring countries as was done in the past. We must also watch out for registration of the underaged (children).”

Insufficient centres, overcrowding pose threat to CVR —CSOs

A former member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Honourable Anietie Eka, warned that insufficient registration centres in riverine and remote areas could disenfranchise thousands.

He also noted that many eligible Nigerians in hard-to-reach communities may face transportation difficulties or overcrowding at the few available centres, leading to frustration and eventual apathy.

Also, the Akwa Ibom Civil Society Coalition (ACSOC) raised concerns over past experiences of technical breakdowns and slow processing at registration points.

The coordinator, Mrs Idara Akpan, noted that network failures, poor crowd control, and inadequate voter sensitisation previously discouraged participation, adding that such lapses must be addressed to build public confidence.

Despite the fears, both Eka and ACSOC expressed hope that with improved logistics, better-trained personnel, and timely deployment of functional equipment, INEC could deliver a smooth and credible registration process that would enhance voter inclusion ahead of the next electoral cycle.