CVR: AKISIEC advises residents to refrain from multiple registration

The Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC), Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak, has advised residents in the state to refrain from multiple registration in ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

Ikoiwak gave the advice on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ forum on CVR and collection of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) in Ibiono Ibom.

He explained that multiple registration amounted to “no registration’’, because during the process of consolidation of data, all forms of multiple registration would be detected and deleted.

“If your name and bio-data appear twice or more in the system, such registration will be nullified and the data deleted.

“Sometimes, when people complain that they had registered and their names are not on the register, it could be because of multiple registration,” Ikoiwak said.

He, therefore, urged all those who lost their PVCs or those who want to change their voting units to present themselves for replacement of lost cards and transfer, respectively.

“Don’t go for fresh registration; if you card is defaced, just go for replacement and not fresh registration,” he advised.

Ikoiwak also advised registered voters to always go back to registration centres for claims and objections at the end of each registration phase to correct mistakes in their names and data.

He said that the law establishing AKISIEC empowered it to collaborate with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on issues of voter registration to achieve credible elections.

“For the politicians, the PVC will be a serious instrument in 2019 elections. The card reader will be the only instrument for accreditation and it will only read the PVC.

“The 2019 elections will be a different ball game; your vote will count and you will use the PVC,” he assured.

The chairman appealed to eligible persons to go for registration and urged registered voters to support the process by helping to educate others on the need to registered and obtain the PVC.

“Those who just turn 18, those who never registered before, those who wish to transfer or replace lost voter card should go to INEC registration centre for their PVCs,” he reiterated.

He urged them to inform INEC officials at the centres of their need for transfer or replacement of PVC.

In his response, Chairman of Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, Mr EkomAbasi Akpan, thanked AKISIEC for the sensitization tour of the area on the CVR.

Akpan urged youth leaders, women leaders, traditional rulers and politicians to encourage their people to go and register.

Ikoiwak also visited Itu Local Government Area, where political leader, Sen. Anietie Okon, said that PVCs were very important because future leadership of Nigeria would be determined by those with voter cards.

Okon, who is a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said “very soon only those with PVCs would benefit from government empowerment programmes in the state’’.

He urged stakeholders to take AKISIEC sensitization tour very seriously and educate their people on the importance of voter registration and collection of PVC.