Residents of Hotoro North Ward in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano have appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to compel its staff to resume voter registration in the area, following repeated absence at a designated centre.
The residents said many eligible voters have been trooping daily to Hotoro North Primary School for registration, only to meet an empty centre with no officials present.
Some of those who spoke to Radio Nigeria, including Fatima Ibrahim and Fatsima Isah from Unguwar Gini, explained that they arrived at the centre as early as 6:00 a.m., where they were instructed to write down their names. However, they said no registration exercise took place on Thursday, Friday, and Monday.
They noted that hundreds of prospective voters were left stranded due to the non-appearance of INEC officials.
Other residents, including Musbahu Aliyu and Hajara Nafi’u, described the situation as unacceptable.
They said they had suspended their daily activities in order to fulfill their civic responsibility but were yet to be registered despite making several visits to the centre.
The residents called on the government and relevant stakeholders to urgently intervene, warning that the ongoing registration exercise is nearing its end.
“How are we expected to vote as citizens when officials fail to show up, yet the government continuously calls on us to register and take part in elections?”
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of INEC in Kano, Nahila Bello Dandago, explained that many registration points operate as rotational centres, where officials move from one ward to another.
She added that officials also visit rural communities, especially during market days, to register eligible voters across the 44 local government areas of the state.
According to her, a new mega registration centre will be launched in Kano on Wednesday to enhance and streamline the process for eligible voters.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) began the second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise on January 5, scheduled to end on April 17, 202
Radio Nigeria