*In-person enrolment begins August 25, commission targets first-time voters

*Partners NOA to boost voter mobilisation

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced that the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will commence on August 18, marking a major step in preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The exercise, announced on the official X (formerly Twitter) of the Commission, would allow eligible Nigerians who have yet to register, or who need to update their voter information, to do so ahead of the polls.

INEC said the CVR would take place across all States and the Federal Capital Territory, targeting first-time voters, those who have changed locations, and individuals with lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
It stated that the CVR would commence on August 18th with online pre-registration of voters and would be followed by the in-person registration on 25th August 2025.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had during a visit to the Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the electoral body had  resolved to partner the agency on voter mobilisation ahead of the nationwide CVR and November 8 Anambra Governorship election and the 2027 elections.

He said as the national election management body, the Commission was aware that its responsibility was multi-stakeholder and inter-agency in nature.
To succeed, Yakubu noted that they must engage all stakeholders and every national institution relevant to the commission’s mandate, saying one of such national institutions is the NOA.
The chairman said the commission would like to explore further areas of partnership through its Voter Education & Publicity and other relevant departments, particularly with the recent creation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division under the ICT Department of the commission.

He added: “Another area where we need to strengthen our partnership is voter mobilisation. While INEC will continue its voter education efforts, the NOA should, working with other stakeholders such as the political parties, civil society organisations and the media, help in the area of voter mobilisation.  
“The aim is to increase voter turnout and greater participation of the under-represented demographics in our electoral process, particularly youths, women and Persons with Disability (PWDs).

“It is for this reason that NOA has been included in the expanded membership of our Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). The Commission is also making efforts to revamp the National Inter-Agency Committee on Voter Education and Publicity (NICVEP) in which NOA will, again, play an active role.

“Your visit is coming at a critical time in our preparations for the Anambra State Governorship election holding on 8th November 2025, and the 2027 general election.”
“The nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is scheduled to begin in about three weeks with the online pre-registration of voters on 18th August, followed by the in-person registration on 25th August 2025.”

Earlier, Issa-Onilu had said the mandate of NOA was to educate citizens on responsible citizenship, civic duties and creating awareness on election participation.
He said that building patriotic citizenship is more important than building roads and bridges.
Isa-Onilu noted that governments at all levels must be intentional in delivering policies that will trigger patriotism to the country from citizens.

He pointed out that patriotism to one’s country cannot be forced on citizens, nor can it be enforced by a piece of legislation, but rather it is a natural attractive force that can only be galvanised by good governance.

Issa-Onilu stated:  “There has been a series of efforts in the past to galvanise Nigerians, to make us patriotic, but as it is said, you cannot enforce patriotism, and you cannot legislate it. You have to motivate it. Patriotism is like force, there must be an attraction. Which means that the country must be attractive.

“You must do things that must attract the citizens. Most times, such things are intangible. They are not things that we can see because they are psychological.
“We believe that when we are able to communicate government activities well, we will be able to galvanise Nigerians towards patriotism and shared values. It will make the work of INEC easier.”
“We have a president who understands what it means to have a united and cohesive citizenry. He says all the time that we are members of the same family, living in the same building, albeit different rooms. So whatever affects that vision, affects all of us.

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