By David Lawani, Abuja
National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Festus Okoye Esq., has warned citizens who have already registered to desist from re-registration in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, pointing out that multiple registrations are a “total violation of the law.”
The National Commissioner gave the warning at the opening of a two-day workshop for Heads of Voter Education and Publicity Department (VEP), and Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) from the Southern States on Strategic Communications and operationalization of the INEC Communication Policy in Asaba, the Delta State Capital, today.
Okoye explained that “If your Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is damaged or if your PVC is defaced, you don’t need to start a new registration, you can go to the portal and interact with the portal relating to the section on the platform dealing with damaged PVCs, you don’t need to register afresh,” he said.
He added that “the Permanent Voter Card that they are holding does not have an expiry date. Let the Nigerian people know as Heads of Voter Education and Public Affairs Officers that we have a portal and any person who has any challenge can go and interact with the portal”.
The IVEC Chairman also reiterated that the use of technology will enhance the credibility of the electoral process and will also curb multiple voting.
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On the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) which the Commission has said will be used for subsequent elections, thereby ending the era of the Smart Card Reader (SCR), the National Commissioner explained that “if the BVAS does not read your fingerprints it will read your facial details. If it does not read your facials, we look at the QR code or we look at the barcode”.
He continued “If all these things are done and we cannot see you, the implication is that you are engaged in identity theft. You are not who you presume you are. So, those who have amassed the Permanent Voters Cards that want to use them on Election Day, we are serving them notice that what they have will not be of use to them.”
He called on HODs and POAs to communicate to the public and to sensitize them against the consequences of double/multiple registrations.
