INEC to use Automated Biometric Identification System to detect irregular registrants

On Thursday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun said that it would adopt the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to remove irregular registrants from the state's Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

The Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Olusegun Agbaje, announced this at a news conference in Osogbo, the state capital, on Thursday to to roll out the schedule and timetable of the CVR in the state.

Agbaje stated that the new date for the commencement of physical registration of voters in the state would now be July 26, 2021 and that the exercise will end in the middle of May 2022.

According to him, the registration pegged to end on May 2022 in Osun, is to allow for the commission to print voter cards for registrants and return the same to them, so they can participate in the state governorship election of July 16, 2022.

He said online registrants that have scheduled appointments from July 19 to July 23 to complete their (biometric) registration, would have their appointments rescheduled.

Speaking on the readiness of the commission for the physical registration exercise, Agbaje said that the commission have deployed its INEC Voters Enrollment Devices (IVED) to all the 30 Local Government INEC offices across the state for the physical registration exercise.

He stated the registration exercise would only be taking place at the INEC local government offices and its state office in Osogbo, and that the exercise would be taking place from 9 am to 3 pm, Mondays to Fridays, excluding public holidays.

He enjoined all eligible citizens of the state, who are yet to register, to take advantage of the online and (soon-to-start) physical registration to register and carry out their civic responsibility.

The INEC chairman, on the other hand, issued a warning against double or multiple registrations, as well as underage registrations, stating that the Commission would conduct quarterly displays and use the Automated Biometrics Identification System (ABIS) to identify and remove irregular registrants.

“Keep in mind that multiple registrations, as well as underage and alien registrations, are all illegal,” he added.