The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday warned against attempts to discredit the commission in the ongoing continuous voters registration (CVR) exercise across the country.
Besides, the Commission said it has shut operations at four troubled local government areas in Anambra over insecurity.
It also denied rumours making the rounds that its staff were collecting money from registrants to be registered.
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Anambra State, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji stated this during a press conference at the commission’s headquarters in Awka.
He disclosed that reports of extortion of registrants had been reported in Nnewi North local government which prompted the commission to quickly replace staff deployed to the area with new ones as part of measures to ensure the credibility of the exercise across the state.
While appealing to the public to help the commission with credible information that would lead to the arrest of any of its staff in shoddy deals throughout the period of the CVR exercise, Dr. Nkwachukwu said the commission was determined to ensure that the exercise is a huge success as was the case during the November 6th 2021 governorship poll in the state.
He however raised that alarm over insecurity in four local government areas of Ogbaru, Idemili North, Ayamelum and Nnewi South where he said the commission cannot do much at the moment.
Nkwachukwu stated that the commission and stakeholders were talking on measures towards finding neutral grounds to pave way for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the exercise in the areas where there are reports of insecurity.
“The Anambra’ State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has observed a recent surge in the number of citizens seeking to register during the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise. This surge in the number of prospective registrants has put the substantial pressure on the resources and capacity of the commission. It has also led to long queuing time and other inconveniences on the part of the prospective registrants.”
Nkwachukwu said the “Commission is addressing these challenges through measures such as creation of additional registration centres in the state and LGA offices as well as reopening of some LGA offices that were shut down as a result of insecurity.”
“The public is reminded that registration in the CVR exercise is free of charge. The commission is ready to work with the public to fish out and discipline any staff of the commission engaged in extortion or any other form of misconduct during the exercise. Members of the public should feel free to contact the commission for enquiries and complaints using the approved WhatsApp number.”
He added that the exercise would continue to run till June 30, 2022.
