The people of Otu in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State have appealed to the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the time for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in the council area.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Otu, the residents said the extension would enable eligible voters who could not register within the stipulated period to do so.
A respondent, Alhaji Iyanda Oniyangi, said: “I want to appeal to INEC to extend the period because we have so many people who are yet to be registered.
“It will be unfair to unjustly deny eligible voters the right to vote.
“One registration machine for each ward will not be enough and that is why the queue is so long everywhere.''
A politician, Mrs Oluyemisi Ishola, who corroborated Oniyangi’s observation, said some of the equipment became faulty during the exercise.
“In Igbojaiye area on Thursday, the INEC officials informed us that the battery was bad and that they could not continue with the exercise.
she said. “ They only resumed work on Sunday; I think we urgently need an extension in this council”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise is meant for Nigerians who have reached the age of 18 years and other eligible voters who did not register in the previous exercise.
But INEC’s spokesman, Mr Kayode Idowu, has reiterated that the commission would not be able to extend the registration period due to some logistic challenges.
NAN