Abuja residents lament inability to pre-register for PVC on INEC portal

The INEC Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) portal has been a source of frustration for many Abuja residents who are eager to register for their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

According to residents, the online platform has consistently failed to provide available appointment slots at INEC offices closest to them, discouraging them from completing their registration.

Christopher Rikko, a realtor in Abuja, said he had repeatedly faced difficulties with voter registration after his previous voter card went missing.

'I'm stuck with a missing voter card'

Mr Rikko, who lives in Garki in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), said the INEC portal showed that the only available appointment slots for biometric capture were in Kwali Area Council.

'I'm registering afresh online, and at the point of choosing my registration centre and picking an appointment date, the site shows that there are no available slots except in Kwali, which means that all the INEC centres are fully booked from now till July 10th,' he said.

Another AMAC resident, George Kaduna, said he completed the online registration process, but encountered difficulties when selecting an appointment date for biometric capture.

'INEC offices are too far for me'

According to him, the nearest available option was in Bwari Area Council, which he described as too far from his residence in Garki.

'Asking me, who stays in Garki, to leave Garki and register in Bwari. I got discouraged and abandoned the process... But I will try again, and if it does not work, I most definitely will call them out on social media,' he said.

Residents have taken their frustrations to social media, with many expressing their disappointment and frustration with the INEC portal.

'This is too much stress'

'No available slots and it's been like this for weeks; how are people supposed to register,' one Abuja resident, @bomacious, posted on X.

Another social media user wondered if the electoral commission was deliberately trying to disenfranchise them.

'Is this on purpose?? INEC office in my location is showing no available slots for appointment even though biometric capturing goes on up until July,' the user posted.

INEC Spokesperson, Mohammed Haruna, did not respond to repeated calls and text messages sent to him, seeking clarification and comments.

However, an official at the commission told PREMIUM TIMES that affected persons can simply go to the INEC offices for registration without getting a 'time slot'.

'You can register without an appointment'

The official, who didn't want to be named because he has no authority to speak to journalists, explained that the commission made it possible to either start the registration online or do everything at the designated INEC offices.

Residents are still waiting to see when the INEC portal will be fixed and when they can register for their PVCs.