Nigerians abroad can now participate in the voting exercise in the country if they first do their preliminary registration online and later come into the country to perfect it in person.
Also, those who have just attained the voting age in addition to others who may have one issue or the other concerning their voters cards amongst other problems can rest assured that they will be attended to.
This revelation was made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Oyo State, Mr. Mutiu Agboke, in lbadan the state capital.
According to him, Nigerians resident both within and outside the country can access the opportunity of registering and obtaining their voters cards online but that to complete the process they have to present themselves physically at the lNEC office of the local government of their choice and all the information will be scrutinized and verified in order to ascertain its authenticity.
He observed that in the past, Nigerians living abroad only come around to show support for those they preferred to be in government and that what is on ground at the moment will make them more interested to be directly involved.
He said that if they remain outside the country without being captured in the voters register there is no way they can participate, saying that, if they come around after online registration and all the necessary processes are concluded, and the cards are issued to them , they are home free.
Agboke, who maintained that the nation’s electoral body is as independent as the present operating 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, will ensure that a credible election is conducted whenever elections are to take place.
He said that those who are yet to be registered , those who have just reached the voting age , those who want to transfer their data to another ward , council or state due to one reason or the other have the opportunity to do so amongst other reasons.
Moreover, Agboke said the essence of physical appearance is to see whether information supplied by the registrants tallies and subsequently to give the date when they would come to get their cards.
Continuing, he stated that this exercise would not only save time, it would also reduce the susceptibility to the contracting of COVID-19 by applicants.
