From Ahmad Saka,Bauchi
The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded 41,973 new voters that were registered at the end of phase one of voters registration exercise.
The Bauchi State Resident Electoral Commissioner REC, Umar Ibrahim, said this today Thursday at the stakeholders meeting on the exercise ,He said The new registered voters include 22,188 males and 19,785 females, and commended the stakeholders for their cooperation throughout the period.
REC said , the commission recorded significant progress in voter registration, voter record management and Permanent Voter Card collection across Bauchi State.
He said the commission identified challenges encountered during Phase I, including distance to registration centres, overcrowding, security concerns and difficult terrain in some local government areas, after the review of operational reports and feedback from stakeholders.
REC said INEC approved the rotation of its Voter Enrolment Devices among Registration Areas within each local government for 50 days, from February 2 to April 10, 2026, with the final week to be conducted at the respective LGA offices.
He said said the rotation schedules were designed based on the number of polling units, voter population, terrain and anticipated turnout to enhance access, efficiency and inclusiveness of the registration process.
Ibrahim said the electoral body still have uncollected PVC , “Out of 37,658 uncollected PVCs from previous exercises, 1,888 were collected during Phase I, leaving a balance of 35,770”.
He said “The exercise also recorded 5,298 voter record updates, 3,350 reviews, 5,847 transfers and 1,336 replacements of defaced PVCs. In addition, 101 Persons with Disabilities were registered.”
REC informed the stockholders that” Phase Two of the CVR commenced nationwide on January 5, 2026 and is expected to run until April 17, 2026″.
Ibrahim, commended the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security for identifying a non-citizen who was erroneously registered during the Phase I exercise, and warned non-citizens to desist from participating in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise across the country.
He said, “In particular, the Commission notes the role played by members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in identifying a non-citizen who was erroneously registered. The Commission has commenced the necessary statutory processes to rectify the anomaly in accordance with the law.
Ibrahim said “As Phase II progresses, the Commission enjoins all stakeholders to continue to engage actively in voter sensitisation, mobilisation and public enlightenment, to ensure that all eligible citizens avail themselves of the opportunity to register and collect their Permanent Voter Cards.”
The REC said that the voter registration remains the bedrock of the electoral process, hence the need to convene the meeting to herald the resumption of Phase II of the CVR in Bauchi State.
The representative of the Controller of the Nigeria Immigration Service in Bauchi State, Danladi Abdulkadir, reiterated that no non-citizen, under any circumstance, is allowed to vote or be voted for in Nigeria.
He called on Nigerians to report any suspected non-citizens residing in any part of the country to the appropriate authorities for necessary action.
