The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any further extension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, saying it must proceed with preparations for the 2027 general elections.
INEC’s Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, made the announcement during an interview on Channels Television, expressing regret that some eligible voters were unable to register before the deadline.
“We just have to stop the exercise. For those who were unable to meet up, I will say we are sorry. There’s nothing we can do for now,” Ifogah said.
The commission had earlier extended the voter registration exercise by two weeks following calls from opposition political parties and civil society organisations. The exercise eventually ended on Sunday.
However, Ifogah explained that granting the extension had already placed additional pressure on the commission’s timetable ahead of next year’s elections.
“Even the two-week extension we gave is going to put us under pressure as a commission in preparing the register before the election. From our timetable and activities, we need about 75 days or more to prepare the register from the time registration ends,” he said.
According to INEC, the time is needed to process, verify and compile the voter register before it can be used for the conduct of the general elections.