The Mutiu Agboke, Independent National Electoral Commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, has urged political parties to promptly report any irregularities or concerns regarding the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
Agboke emphasized that timely reporting is crucial to allow the commission to take necessary actions where required.
He made the remarks while responding to journalists during a monitoring visit of registration centers on Monday. The visit, aimed at assessing the conduct of the exercise and engaging with political party agents, was led by Agboke alongside the INEC management team in the state.
The visit took the INEC team to several registration points, including Ilare Methodist Primary School in Ward 7, Obokun Local Government Area; Saint Andrew Primary School, Ada 1 Ward 7, Boripe Local Government Area; and Holy Michael Primary School, Olonde, Ikirun, Ward 8, Ifelodun Local Government Area.
Agboke also explained that the inspection was aimed at ensuring the process was proceeding in an orderly manner.
Agboke said the commission decided to visit the field so that it could obtain direct feedback from officials and representatives of political parties participating in the registration process.
“Many people are not aware that the registration exercise has been moved to the Registration Area level, and we must monitor what our staff are doing there,” he said.
According to him, the commission could not assume that all activities were running smoothly without physically observing the process and speaking with stakeholders at the centres.
“There may be issues that we are not aware of and that may not be brought to my attention. That is why we decided not to remain in the office but to come to the field and hear directly from the party agents.
“When we come out like this, they will see that we are following up on what our staff are doing. The essence is simply monitoring, nothing more, nothing less,” he stated.
On the issue of political campaigns, the REC explained that campaign activities were largely internal matters for political parties, adding that although the commission continues to observe developments to ensure compliance with electoral regulations.
“Campaigns are internal arrangements of the political parties. We may monitor them, but for now there has not been any formal invitation to us. However, we are tracking the activities of the parties and will carry out oversight where necessary,” he said.
Speaking on the duration of the voter registration exercise, Agboke disclosed that the process would continue until close to the next election period, noting that registration would eventually be halted temporarily to allow for the printing of Permanent Voter Cards.
“The totality of the exercise may run until around August, but before the election in Osun the registration will stop so that all cards can be printed and distributed to voters,” he explained.
Across the various registration areas visited, party representatives from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Accord Party were present, while security personnel were observed maintaining order at the centres.
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