INEC confirms it remains sensitive to the people’s feeling

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC said it will continue to remain “sensitive” to the feelings of Nigerians even as there was an order on Monday that a Federal High Court has restrained it from ending the Continuous Voter Registration CVR by June 30.

Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi said; “First of all, we have a history of complying with court judgments or orders. However, as you know, once a matter goes to court, it becomes subjudice for you to comment on it.

“I haven’t seen a copy of what the court said but I know that from the reports I have read, the court has asked us to come on I think June 29 to show cause on why the prayers of the applicants shouldn’t be granted. Of course, INEC will go to court on the said day and make a case but you will recall that in Lagos during the ‘Youth Vote Count’ concert, the INEC Chairman was there and he assured the youths. The youths were calling for an extension and he said well, they will hear from the commission.

“Now, when the commission saw the situation, it deployed about 209 machines to different centres in those areas where there is pressure and the commission will look at the effect of that between that time when the machines were deployed and the deadline that was set. The Chairman assured them that the commission will do what will be in the best interest of Nigerians.

“The issue is the commission is sensitive to Nigerians but at the same time we should also remember that this CVR started in June 2021 and it is for those who have never registered before or those who just turned 18 but what we discovered in the fire and second quarter was that almost half of those who registered were double registrants and that was why when the chairman was giving a report on that, he said 46 percent of those who registered between June and December were invalid registrants. So, their second registrations were struck out”.