As the deadline for the ongoing voters’ registration draws near, the call for its extension by Hon. Mascot Uzor Kalu has yielded more support as the House of Representatives has asked INEC to extend the deadline.
Hon. Mascot, a frontline candidate in the Abia state 2023 gubernatorial race under the platform of the Action Peoples Party (APP), had championed the cause for the unconditional extension of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) by INEC.
In a letter dated April 12, 2022, which was addressed to the INEC Chairman and copied to the President, Senate President, the Senate Committee on INEC, Speaker House of Representatives, the Chairman House Committee on INEC, IPAC, and other relevant stakeholders, Hon. Mascot argued that the proposed closure of the CVR by the Electoral Commission would contravene the relevant substantive sections of the 2022 Electoral Act (as amended).
Mascot Uzor Kalu
Citing Part III, section 9(6) of the Act, the former Chief of Staff to the Abia government further argued that such closure of the voters’ registration would amount to a flagrant disregard of the Electoral Act, which states that “the registration of voters, updating, and revision of register of voters shall stop not later than 90 days before elections.”
In line with Hon. Mascot’s view, the House of Representatives on Wednesday, 15 June 2022, asked INEC to extend the deadline for the continuous voters registration by 60 days (2 months). The House adopted this resolution after a motion moved by Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Spokesperson of the House.
