Oyo has recorded 43,963 new voters so far – INEC

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo state has registered a total of 43,963 new voters since the Continued Voter Registration exercise commenced nationwide on April 27, 2017, the Commission disclosed yesterday. According to the Acting Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, Mr. Surajudeen Junaid, the fi gure comprises 23, 829 males and 20,134 females. He also explained that about 2, 339 registered voters were seeking transfer from former locations to their current ones. Some groups across the country had expressed concern about the response of eligible citizens to the exercise, which they blamed on inadequate enlightenment on the exercise, while others attributed the tendency among Nigerians to wait until the last minute during such exercise. However, Junaid explained that the commission was making sure that all eligible persons were attended to at their local government offi ces areas for the purpose of the exercise. He said about 1,719 applications had been received for replacement of lost or defaced Permanent Voter cards (PVCs) since the exercise was fl agged off by an INEC National Commissioner, Prince Adedeji Soyebi, on April 27, 2017. He urged other eligible Nigerians, who had turned 18 years since the 2015 general elections, and others who, for whatever reasons, had not registered as voters, to do so at INEC offi ces in their respective local government areas.