Deploy more hands in CVR centres, Group urges INEC

The Movement for Election of Nigeria President of Igbo Extraction has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deploy more hands in its Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) centres.

The National Convener of the group, Mr Vincent Ezekwueme, made the plea while speaking on Monday in Enugu.

Ezekwueme spoke on the sideline of increasing number of registrants thronging CVR registration centres within many states in the country especially the South-East.

According to him, INEC should restrategise, employ and deploy more hands in various registration centres.

He urged INEC state Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to visit various INEC local government offices and registration centres for on-the-spot assessment and to proffer solutions to overcrowding in CVR registration centres.

"RECs should direct local government electoral officers to adhere strictly to government directive that registration of voters must be free, transparent and credible.

"INEC should create additional CVR registration centres in densely populated areas as well as new estates and layouts within the South-East states," he said.

The convener also called on INEC to ensure that steps were taken to accommodate those who relocated; put modalities to ensure easy registration of eligible voters.

Ezekwueme noted that if the mentioned steps were not taken urgently, many citizens would be disfranchised in 2023 General Election.

"We call on RECs to convene without delay stakeholders meeting to tackle challenges hampering easy registration of prospective voters and need for voters' education to tackle issues of ignorance and misinformation.

"INEC should ensure that every eligible voters willing to register, will be registered without stress and transfer of voters to their new abode less cumbersome," he said.