The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that 7,043,594 Nigerians that applied for voter registration did not complete the process before the deadline for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

Lifestyle Nigeria reports that this was contained in a statement by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye.

The Commission revealed that a total of 10,487,972 eligible voters commenced the online pre-registration process but only 3,444,378 persons completed the exercise physically in line with its policy.

Okoye noted that a breakdown of the exercise, showed that “4,161,775 citizens attempted but either did not complete online pre-registration or abandoned it and went for the physical registration instead.

“2,881,819 registrants completed the online pre-registration but did not show up to complete the physical Biometric Capture at designated centres before the deadline,” he said.

The electoral umpire was reacting to allegations that seven million Nigerians, who applied for online pre-registration as voters during the last nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) were denied the opportunity to complete their registrations.

The statement reads in part: “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to media reports that some seven million Nigerians who applied for online pre-registration as voters during the last nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) were denied the opportunity to complete their registration and consequently the collection of their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs). This claim is misleading.