Over 62,698 persons in Anambra State are involved in double or multiple registrations in the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Friday at the commission’s emergency meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja.

Yakubu said that the double registrations were discovered during the process of cleaning up the registration data.

He recalled that before the end of the first quarter of the CVR nationwide, INEC had devolved the exercise to the Wards or Registration Areas in the state.

The INEC chairman stressed that the conclusion of the registration was followed by the clean-up of the data, to remove the names of ineligible registrants before the printing of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs).

“In Anambra State, a total of 138,802 citizens completed the registration, including applications for transfer and request for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs as required by law.

“However, in the process of cleaning up the registration data, we discovered that many previously registered persons re-registered afresh.

“As a testimony to the effectiveness of our new system for checking double and multiple registrations, the Commission found out that some 62,698 persons who were already registered voters in Anambra State went ahead to register again.

“These double or multiple registrations are invalid by law. We have archived these registrations and will not print new PVCs for them.

“Their old PVCs remain valid and they can use them to vote at the Polling Units where they registered and probably voted in previous elections.

“The same clean-up exercise is going on nationwide. As soon as it is over, the Commission will provide further details to Nigerians on the situation, in other states of the federation and action to be taken on the matter.

“Let me remind all Nigerians that the law prohibits double registration,” he added.

Yakubu noted that the deployment of technology, including the online pre-registration, had simplified the process and made voter registration in Nigeria easier.

He also stated that the same technology had made it easier for INEC to detect multiple registrations.

“Consequently, the number of valid registrants in Anambra State at the end of the First Quarter of the CVR exercise on September 5, is 77,475.

“This figure has been added to the existing register of 2,447,996 eligible voters used for the 2019 General Election.

“Accordingly, the number of registered voters in Anambra State now stands at 2,525,471,” Yakubu said.