The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a warning against underage and multiple registrations ahead of the commencement of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise on August 18 in Kebbi State.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday in Birnin Kebbi, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Kebbi State, Alhaji Abubakar Sarkin-Pawa-Dambo, emphasized that the commission would not tolerate any form of illegal registration.

“INEC will not condone multiple registrations, registration by proxy, underage registration, or any other unlawful attempts to register as voters,” he stated.

According to the REC, online pre-registration for the CVR will begin on August 18, while in-person registration will start on August 25. He encouraged Nigerians who have recently turned 18 to either register online or visit INEC offices in their local government areas.

He also noted that those who lost or misplaced their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), have mutilated cards, changed addresses, or need corrections to their personal information, such as name or date of birth, are eligible for the physical registration.

The registration exercise will take place at all INEC area offices across Kebbi State from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily, excluding weekends and public holidays.

Providing a summary of voter statistics ahead of the 2023 general elections, Sarkin-Pawa-Dambo said INEC registered 2,032,041 eligible voters in Kebbi. Of this number, 1,096,449 (54%) were male and 935,592 (46%) were female.

Kebbi State, he added, has 225 Registration Areas (RAs) and 3,743 Polling Units, spread across three senatorial districts and nine federal constituencies.

He also disclosed that 1,847,752 PVCs have been collected, representing a 97% collection rate. He urged those yet to collect their PVCs to do so once a new collection schedule is announced.