…INEC registered 41,973 new voters, comprising 22,188 males and 19,785 females.
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cautioned non-citizens against taking part in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise nationwide.
The warning was issued on Thursday by the Bauchi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Umar Ibrahim, during an interactive session in Bauchi ahead of the commencement of Phase Two of the CVR in the state.
Ibrahim, who commended the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security for identifying a non-citizen mistakenly registered during Phase One of the exercise, praised stakeholders for their cooperation throughout the period.
He said the commission had begun statutory processes to correct the anomaly in line with the law, while urging stakeholders to sustain voter sensitisation, mobilisation and public enlightenment efforts as Phase Two progresses.
“As Phase II continues, the Commission calls on all stakeholders to actively engage in sensitisation and mobilisation to ensure that all eligible citizens register and collect their Permanent Voter Cards,” he said.
The REC stressed that voter registration remains central to the electoral process, explaining that the meeting was convened to mark the resumption of Phase Two of the CVR in Bauchi State.
Also speaking, a representative of the Nigeria Immigration Service in Bauchi State, Danladi Abdulkadir, reiterated that non-citizens are not permitted under any circumstances to vote or contest elections in Nigeria. He urged Nigerians to report suspected non-citizens to the appropriate authorities.
Phase One of the CVR, conducted between August 18 and December 10, 2025, recorded notable progress in voter registration, voter record management and PVC collection across Bauchi State.
INEC registered 41,973 new voters, comprising 22,188 males and 19,785 females. Out of 37,658 previously uncollected PVCs, 1,888 were retrieved, leaving a balance of 35,770.
The exercise also recorded 5,298 voter record updates, 3,350 reviews, 5,847 transfers and 1,336 replacements of damaged PVCs, alongside the registration of 101 persons with disabilities.
Phase Two of the CVR commenced nationwide on January 5, 2026 and is scheduled to end on April 17, 2026.
Following a review of operational reports and stakeholder feedback, INEC identified challenges during Phase One, including long distances to registration centres, overcrowding, security issues and difficult terrain in some areas.
To address these challenges, the commission approved the rotation of Voter Enrolment Devices across registration areas within each local government for 50 days, from February 2 to April 10, 2026, with the final week dedicated to registration at LGA offices.
INEC said the rotation schedules were designed based on polling unit distribution, voter population, terrain and expected turnout to improve access, efficiency and inclusiveness.
