The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said in Abuja on Thursday that? plans for update of voters' register throughout the country was still on course.
Mr Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Idowu recalled how the commission had carried out periodic voter registration exercises before governorship elections in Kogi, Adamawa and Bayelsa.
He said the commission would soon carry out upgrading of voters’ register in other states of the federation.
“We carried out the periodic voter registration in Kogi, Adamawa and Bayelsa but we intend to roll out a nationwide exercise after we are done with the remaining elections.
“We need to get the remaining elections behind us,’’ he said.
Idowu added that the commission had set up a committee to work on the nationwide delineation of constituencies as well.
“Ground work is on going for the delineation of constituencies and that will come up very soon too,’’ he said.
NAN reports of calls by some political parties and civil society organisations for the immediate update of voters’ register in the country.
Similarly, Mr Austin Okogie, newly sworn in Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) said the update is crucial to guarantee credible elections in the country.
He added that since the register was compiled by INEC before the 2011 general elections, “no attempt has been made to update it. ’’
Jega had said the reason INEC bought 132,000 Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines, an estimated 10 per cent more of the projected polling units, was because the commission knew the law provided for continuous voter registration.
?“We will have the capacity to be able to effectively deploy these for a continuous voter registration,” he said.
NAN reports that the INEC boss made this statement before the April 2011 general elections.
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