The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ogun has lamented low turnout of voters for the Continuous Voter’s Registration (CVR) exercise in the state.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Olusegun Agbaje said this on Thursday at a meeting with the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC) and Chairmen of political parties in Abeokuta.
Agbaje,who resumed duty on September, noted that the level of participation of eligible citizens in the first quarter of CVR exercise both online and physical was “very low” compared to other southwest states.
He disclosed that a total of 464,604 Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) were collected by their owners before the 2019 elections, out of 1,126,24, leaving a balance of 661,643.
He added that 1,615 had so far been collected since the beginning of the exercise this year, leaving a total of 660,028 PVCs yet to be collected.
“A total of 12, 929 eligible citizens competed their registration during the first quarter and the second quarter 2021 commenced on October 4 and would end on December 20.
“So far, a total of 9,138 eligible citizens have completed their registrations as at November 8, for the second quarter of 2021,” he said.
He urged party leaders to, as a matter of urgency, mobilize their followers and eligible citizens to take advantage of the CVR in order to be empowered to exercise their civic responsibilities in the 2023 general elections.
In his remark, the IPAC Secretary, Chief Sola Coker, appreciated the new REC’s decision to meet with duly registered political parties in the state.
He pledged his memebers’ cooperation with the commissioner and the commission.
Some of the chairmen who spoke promised to mobilize their followers and supporters to register to vote.
A total of 17 political parties were represented at the meeting.
