INEC Chairman, Yakub Mahmood

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in Abia, Chief Johnson Onuigbo, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decentralise the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration to wards and communities.

Onuigbo said this on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia.

He said that the measure would help the commission to capture population of eligible persons in the hinterland, adding that the registration points should be extended to the rural areas for the exercise to be successful.

“The villages and communities are far from the local government headquarters where the registration takes place.

“This is why I advocate that the centres should be decentralised to wards and communities, to make them accessible to all those that are eligible to register.”

The PDP chieftain advised all those who had yet to obtain their voter card to take advantage of the opportunity to register.

“I want people to know that the voter card is the power they have to vote and elect a candidate of their choice in future elections in the state.

“Any person who failed to register and obtain his voter card has disenfranchised himself and should have himself to blame,” Onuigbo said.

Meanwhile, Mr Chuka Achumie, the Electoral Officer in charge of Umuahia North Local Government Area, has described the turnout of people for registration as impressive.

Achumie expressed the hope that the commission might consider using the Registration Area Centres to be able to mop up other eligible people who could not come to Umuahia to register.

He said that the centre was registering an average of between 80 and 100 persons daily.

He noted that incessant power outage at the centre was the only major challenge.

“We spend a minimum of N2,500 to run the generator daily since the exercise commenced due erratic power supply,” Achumie said.

(NAN)