JUST IN: INEC Says Voter Registration To End By July 31

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the voter registration will now end by July 31.

The commission made the decision at an extraordinary session which took place on Friday.

The electoral umpire said the exercise has also been extended to eight hours daily from 9 am to 5 pm instead of the current duration of six hours daily.

Festus Okoye, the INEC national commissioner, said that moving forward, the exercise will also include weekends as against only weekdays.

INEC had earlier fixed June 30 as the deadline for the ongoing CVR ahead of the 2023 elections — but the commission later extended the exercise by two weeks.

The commission asked Nigerians to take advantage of the new two-week extension to register for their permanent voter cards (PVCs).

“We appeal for the patience and understanding of all Nigerians as we conclude the exercise which will resume after the 2023 General Election,” INEC said.

“We observed that following the continuation of the exercise beyond 30th June 2022, many of the registration centres recorded low turnout of prospective registrants.

“With this two-week extension, we appeal to eligible citizens not to wait until the last few days before they inundate the centres again to register.”