By Chris Nyamtu
Electorates in Nasarawa State have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deploy more personnel and functional machines to ensure a seamless registration process in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
A visit by a Radio Nigeria Correspondent to INEC offices in some local government areas revealed that the exercise, which commenced on Monday, August 25, 2025, has been marred by the late arrival of officials, technical glitches, and machine malfunctioning.
Despite INEC’s earlier engagement with stakeholders, including traditional rulers, community leaders, faith-based groups, and the media to sensitise residents about the exercise, turnout has remained low in several centres.
At the INEC offices in Nasarawa Eggon, Doma, and Lafia Local Government Areas, only a handful of electorates were seen queuing as early as 7:30 a.m. In Nasarawa Eggon, a visually impaired voter, Mr. Auta Alaku, lamented that he had spent over two hours without receiving assistance to correct errors on his voter card. Another voter appealed to INEC to deploy additional machines to fast-track the process.
Similarly, in Doma LGA, elderly residents Baba Omaku and Mr. Oga Haruna expressed frustration, stating that despite arriving hours before the scheduled time, no registrations had been carried out due to persistent machine breakdowns.
In Lafia, Mr. Moses Aku and Mallam Hassan Rabiu urged INEC to restore public confidence in the exercise, noting that they had expected smoother operations given lessons from past registration exercises.
Responding to the concerns, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Shehu Elwahab, appealed for calm and assured residents that all technical challenges were being addressed. He also urged stakeholders to intensify sensitisation efforts to encourage wider participation.
As the exercise enters its second day, electorates across Nasarawa State are calling for urgent improvements to ensure a credible and inclusive electoral process.
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