As the five-day Continuous Voter’s Registration (CVR) exercise in Ondo State ended on Sunday, there are divergent views on the agitations by stakeholders on the extension of the exercise.
Both Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have agitated for the extension of the exercise.
Also stakeholders, including a political analyst, Desmond Iwajomo, supported the views of the political leaders of the PDP and APC.
He said the purpose of the exercise would be defeated if the majority of those targeted were not captured, following logistic deficiency on the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to him, “it is imperative for the electoral body to extend the exercise, especially now that young people are determined more than ever to get involved in the democratic process.”
A new-breed politician, Adewetan Vincy, said those calling for the extension of INEC voter registration should leave the electoral body alone.
He said any attempt to extend the exercise would give the incumbent governor and the ruling PDP more opportunity to manipulate the registration because of the power of incumbency.
Adewetan believed those who voted for President Muhammadu Buhari in Ondo State during the presidential election were still alive, stressing that they would do justice during the election proper.
A secondary school teacher, Michael Falode, said the five days declared for the exercise were not enough to cater for the increasing number of people that were yet to register and those that had attained the age of 18 after the last registration.
Another indigene, Mrs. Kemi Olatunbosun, said many qualified people that had lost their voter cards were not able to get court services to swear affidavit because of the strike over the non-payment of six- month salary arrears.