The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Edo and Ondo states ahead of their governorship elections on September 21 and November 16 respectively.

The decision, according to the electoral umpire, was made to allow eligible voters to participate in the upcoming elections.

INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made this known during the second regular quarterly consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja.

He said the CVR in Edo and Ondo states will take place simultaneously from Monday, May 27, 2024, to Wednesday, June 5, 2024, from 9am to 3pm daily, including weekends.

He added that due to the limited time before the governorship elections, the registration will be conducted at the ward level and state headquarters instead of local government offices and designated centres as in the past.

Yakubu added that the uncollected Permanent Voters' Cards (PVCs) would be made available for collection during the CVR, with the list of uncollected PVCs to be published in INEC offices in the two states and uploaded to its website in the coming days.

Responding on behalf of the political parties, Yusuf Dantalle, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and the National Chairman of Allied People's Movement (APM), emphasised the need to protect democracy from anti-democratic forces.

Dantalle also noted the need for an electoral offences commission to address electoral offences effectively and called on INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections.