The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), a core member of the Edo State Situation Room monitoring the 2024 Governorship Election process, has released a report on its observation of the continuous voter registration (CVR) and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection exercise across Edo State from May 27th to June 9th, 2024.
While commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the successful exercise, ANEEJ called for the implementation of a continuous voter registration system rather than a limited timeframe before elections. During the official release of the report in Benin on Monday, the Acting Executive Director of ANEEJ, Leo Atakpu, said: “Now that the continuous voter registration exercise in Edo State has ended across the state, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice is calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to establish a continuous voter registration process, rather than limiting it to just a few weeks before an election.”
ALSO READ: Plastic Pollution: ANEEJ Urges Urgent Government Action
Atakpu highlighted the challenges faced by eligible voters who were unable to register due to the limited timeframe. His words: “As of yesterday, when the registration exercise ended, many eligible voters who were still in line at some centers visited by our monitors were unable to register.”
ANEEJ called on INEC to leverage digital technology and artificial intelligence for uninterrupted voter registration nationwide.
“In this era of digital technology, where most of the affected persons are from the Gen-Z generation, we expect INEC to take advantage of the growing reliance on artificial intelligence and other digital technological spaces to undertake uninterrupted registration of eligible voters nationwide,” Atakpu stated.
The report also recommended that INEC should “ensure that applications for replacement of damaged cards and transfer of polling units can be done online without hassles, allowing people to complete the exercise in the comfort of their homes.”
ALSO READ: ANEEJ Condemns Yahaya Bello’s Alleged Judicial Manipulation
“operate priority lines (queues) for persons with disabilities, pregnant women, aged persons, and other categories of vulnerable persons, to facilitate their ease of participation in the exercise,” it stated.
While praising INEC’s ad-hoc officials for their efforts, ANEEJ called for their proper training to improve efficiency. Regarding the presence of multiple party officials at some registration centers, ANEEJ stated: “For subsequent exercises, only one party agent should be allowed to be at the registration center to avoid a situation where a particular party would dominate the registration process,” warning that such actions could undermine the credibility of the process.
