TheCable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disowned a website that claims that the federal government has approved “individual voter card registration” to “avoid crowd at National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) centres”.

INEC said the website is not linked to the commission, adding that the portal is “spurious and from a dubious source”.

Festus Okoye, INEC spokesperson, in a statement on Monday, urged members of the public to avoid such fake websites.

Okoye added that only INEC is constitutionally mandated to conduct registration of qualified persons to vote in the country.

“Barely 24 hours after the suspension of voter registration, the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been drawn to an online site urging Nigerians to enroll for ‘voter card (PVC)’ registration, claiming that the Federal Government has approved individual voter card (PVC) registration online to avoid unnecessary crowd in the ‘NIMC’ centres,” the statement reads.

“The Commission states unequivocally that the site is not linked to the Commission and the link/portal is spurious and from a dubious source.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission is the only body constitutionally and legally mandated to conduct the registration of persons qualified to vote in any election in Nigeria and to update and revise the register when the need arises.

“The commission is solely responsible for organising, undertaking, and supervising national elections in the country and does not share this responsibility with anybody or organisation.

“Members of the public are strongly advised not to succumb to the antics of online scammers and should avoid such fake sites.”

On July 31, INEC suspended the continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise, which started in June 2021.