The Osun State Government has declared Monday next week public holiday to enable the workers in the state to participate in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr Obawale Adebisi, noted in a statement on Thursday in Osogbo, that the holiday was to provide ample opportunity to eligible voters to participate in the exercise.
Adebisi urged those that had yet to register to use the holiday period to do so, and those that had registered to also use the period to collect their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC).
“Voter registration and collection of PVCs are important and strategic to the electoral process and have capability of strengthening the democratic governance. Voter registration helps to facilitate the credibility of the electoral process and democratic governance.
“That is why government found it imperative to create an ample opportunity by declaring Monday a work-free day, being the last day for the eligible voters to register.
Thus, government passionately urges the people to go out and register in the remaining days, while those who have lost or defaced their cards can register afresh. The affected ones should guard against registering twice as each person is only allowed to register once,” he said.
Adebisi said since the CRV was periodic, the state government considered it imperative to dedicate a day for fresh potential voters to register to enable them to exercise their franchise during elections.
The commissioner enjoined the residents of the state who had attained 18 years and above to go to the nearest registration centres to them to register.
He said a voter that had relocated to a new place should also approach the INEC office in the new area for transfer of voters’ card to enable him or her to participate in elections there.
TBI Africa reports that the second quarter of the exercise started on April 11 and will end on April 16.
