By Okodili Ndidi Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it had received 542,576 online applications since the resumption of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), which started on June 28, 2020.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced this on Tuesday at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja.

According to him, 456,909 were fresh registrants while 85,667 applied for voter transfer, replacement of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), update of voter information record, among others.

Yakubu said the commission had recorded 542,576 online registrants comprising 356,777 (or 66 per cent) young people between the ages of 18 and 34 years and 134,719 middle-aged registrants between 35 and 49 years.

“The third category is elderly persons, aged between 50 and 69 years, of which 44,896 Nigerians have registered. Interestingly, some 6,184 senior citizens (aged 70 years and above) have taken advantage of the new online opportunity to register.

“On occupational distribution of registrants, 156,446 are students; 38,217 artisans; 24,421 farmers and fishermen; 150,145 businessmen and traders; 35,831 employed as civil and public servants and 8,334 housewives.

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“The remaining 129,182 registrants did not specify their occupations. On gender, 321,781 are male while 220,795 are female,” he said.

The INEC chairman explained that the commission was aware that not all Nigerians have access to computers, smart phones or internet connectivity to register online.

He assured eligible registrants that they would be given the opportunity for physical or in-person registration at designated centres.

Yakubu stressed that even the online registrants would have to complete their registration physically at those centres.

According to him, the commission has approved a detailed timetable and schedule of activities for the CVR, including the display of the register of new voters for claims and objections by citizens at various stages of the process, as required by law.

The INEC boss said the CVR would hold for 13 months and terminate on July 11, 2022.

He added that the electoral body had configured enough machines and started deployment, nationwide, for further training of officials in readiness for the commencement of the physical registration.

“The commission is not unaware that we have scheduled the commencement of the physical registration for Monday, July 19, 2021. Already, there are indications that this date or immediately thereafter may be public holidays.

“We are also aware that some of the online registrants have scheduled their appointments for the completion for their registrations on the dates that are likely to be public holidays.

“The commission will meet on Thursday (July 15) to review the situation and provide clarity on the matter,” Yakubu added.

Stressing that the voters register was at the heart of any credible elections, Yakubu reiterated the commission’s commitment in deepening the use of technology to ensure electoral transparency and credibility.