24th June, 2021
By Muhaimin Olowoporoku
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has launched an online portal for eligible voters to easily register.
The portal will go live on Monday when the online registration is scheduled to commence.
Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu who addressed journalists in Abuja on Thursday said that the portal was to enable people who want to register toinitiate the process online.
He said those who want to register would have to provide relevant details before an appointment is booked for them to visit the commissions office.
The INEC chairman revealed that they started online registration owing to insecurity in the country before they commence full voters registration at all the 2,673 registration centres nationwide.
Prof. Yakubu said for those who are registered voters and just want to do other things like transfers, correction of personal details and replacement of damaged or defaced PVCs, they can complete the entire process online.
He expressed hope that the online portal would help them reduce overcrowding at registration centers.
“We hope that through this portal, we shall reduce overcrowding at our registration centres, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, make the registration processes generally easier, thereby giving Nigerians a pleasant electoral experience, he said.
“However, I must quickly reiterate that the online registration is a public service and therefore free of charge. There is no INEC-approved cybercafe, no online registration centre and no scratch card to be purchased for the exercise. All you need is a device, including your mobile phones, that can connect to the internet.”
INEC stopped voters registration August 2018, about six months before the last general election in the country.