Flooding Threatens Voter Registration in Edo State

The Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise, set to commence on Monday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, may suffer a setback as several machines already configured for the exercise have been destroyed by flood.

INEC had scheduled Monday, May 27, 2024, for the start of the CVR to register those who have reached the voting age of 18 years and to allow voters to transfer their Permanent Voter Cards to their preferred locations.

A statement by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, on Saturday, said the machines were damaged by a flood that inundated the commission’s headquarters office in Benin City following torrential rainfall on Friday night.

Olumekun said the incident was reported to the National Headquarters of the Commission in Abuja by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State, Anugbum Onuoha.

“Our Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, has reported that our State Headquarters in Benin City was completely flooded following a torrential rainfall on Friday, May 24, 2024.

Some of the voter enrollment machines already configured for the forthcoming Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) are affected,” Olumekun said.

He added that a preliminary assessment revealed that the heavy downpour damaged a section of the building.

“Movable and immovable items were submerged, including vehicles parked at the premises as well as office furniture and equipment,” he stated.

Despite the setback, Olumekun disclosed that the state headquarters would be relocated to its Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area as a registration centre as planned.

He added that INEC is delivering additional machines from neighboring states to make up for the shortfall.

He assured that the commission is determined to ensure that the CVR in all the 192 wards across Edo State will proceed on Monday as scheduled.