INEC Oyo to Rotate Voter Enrolment Devices Across 351 Registration Areas

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo State has announced plans to deploy its Voter Enrolment Devices (IVED) on a rotational basis across all 351 registration areas in the state to improve access to voter registration.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Adeniran Tella, disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing journalists at the INEC Collation Centre in Ibadan. He said the decision followed challenges encountered during the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, particularly issues related to accessibility.

According to Prof. Tella, the Commission has developed a 50-day rotational schedule that will allow the IVED machines to move systematically across all registration areas, ensuring that eligible voters in every part of the state are reached.

The first phase of the CVR exercise, which ended on December 10, 2025, recorded a total of 2,572,054 completed registrations in Oyo State. In the ongoing second phase, which commenced on January 5, 2026, at least 551 people were registered within the first three days. The exercise is expected to end on April 17, 2026.

“For this phase, we are not adopting a static approach. Instead, our voter enrolment devices will be mobile,” Prof. Tella said. “The machines will be deployed across the 351 registration areas from February 9, 2026, operating daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding weekends and public holidays.”

He noted that voter registration would continue simultaneously at the INEC state office and all 33 local government area offices throughout the period of the rotational deployment.

The REC explained that the initiative is designed to bring voter registration closer to residents, particularly those in rural, remote, and underserved communities, as well as newly eligible voters who have recently turned 18.

The exercise will also accommodate voters seeking to replace lost, damaged, or defaced Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), update their personal details, change polling units, or collect previously unclaimed PVCs.

Prof. Tella added that INEC would organise stakeholder meetings involving political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups, market associations, and persons living with disabilities to ensure smooth implementation of the exercise.

He assured that the full schedule for the rotational movement of the enrolment devices would be made available on the INEC website to enable prospective registrants plan accordingly.