‘Give us more machines’ — residents protest in Enugu over ‘delayed’ voter registration

Residents in Enugu, on Tuesday, staged a protest over what they described as the delay in the continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise.

The residents protested at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.

The protesters chanted words such as ‘Give Us More Machines’; ‘INEC, Stop Stressing Us’; ‘Some of Us Have Spent Three Days on a Simple Exercise’, among others.

Addressing the protesters on the development, Rex Achumie, head of department, voter education and publicity of INEC in Enugu, assured them that the commission will ensure that eligible voters are registered.

“I will personally supervise to see that the commission decongests the high number of CVR registrants in Okpara Square and ensure they are being taken care of from tomorrow,” he said.

“I am also appealing to you to also use other CVR registration centres, especially the ones scattered in various local government areas to see that the crowd at Okpara Square is reduced.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed June 30 as the deadline for the suspension of CVR exercise across the country ahead of the 2023 general election.

However, a federal high court in Abuja, on Monday, stopped INEC from ending the CVR exercise on June 30.

The court’s decision followed a suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 185 Nigerians.