INEC: Online voter registration will help us deliver our mandate better

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), says the online continuous voter registration (CVR) has positioned the agency to better deliver on its mandate.

Yakubu said compared to previous experiences, the commission has been able to eliminate crowd at CVR centres with the new technology.

The INEC chairman spoke on Friday during a tour of physical CVR centres in Abuja with a delegation of the National Elections Commission of Liberia.

“So far so good, because quite a number of the pre-registrants have come on appointment to complete their registration,” he said.

“A number have also come to register physically because that is an option of physical registration, in addition to the completion of the online registration. 

“So far, you don’t see the kind of crowd that we used to see during registration.

“Recall that between 2017 and 2018, we conducted a CVR over a period of 16 months and we learnt from the experience of that exercise. That is why we now introduced more technology into the process.

“As you can see the queue has disappeared and we are able to serve Nigerians better for that reason.”

Yakubu said INEC will continue with the exercise until it ends on June 30, 2022.

Davidetta Lansanah, the chairperson, National Elections Commission of Liberia, praised the leadership of INEC for sharing Nigeria’s experience.

“There are lessons that have been learned since we have been on this tour. We have seen that the electoral commission of Nigeria has invested so much in technology, in terms of the availability of the technology to Nigerians,” she said.

“This makes it important for Nigerians to come out to register ahead of the 2023 general elections in the country.

“Another lesson learned is that the earlier you start, the better the process.

“So, the continuous registration here in Nigeria, I think creates the opportunity for an increase in the number of Nigerians taking advantage of the system.”

Lansanah added that the Liberian team was excited to be in Nigeria for the study tour because there is so much to learn.