The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will commence with online pre-registration on August 18, 2025.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by National Orientation Agency’s management team to the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

“The nationwide continuous voter registration is scheduled to commence in about three weeks, with the online pre-registration of voters scheduled for the 18th of August,” Prof. Yakubu said.

He further revealed that the physical (in-person) registration exercise will begin a week later. “In-person registration begins on the 25th of August, 2025,” he added.

Prof. Yakubu said the CVR exercise is part of INEC’s broader preparations ahead of the Anambra State governorship election slated for November 8, 2025, and the 2027 general elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) during the visit renewed their commitment to deepening collaboration on voter education, public enlightenment, and the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) tools ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The INEC Chairman described the meeting as a continuation of the commission’s stakeholder engagement strategy, stressing the critical role NOA plays in grassroots voter sensitisation.

“I am particularly glad that this meeting is at the instance of the DG in furtherance of the longstanding partnership between INEC and the National Orientation Agency,” Prof. Yakubu said.

“Our mandate of conducting elections and electoral activities cannot be effectively discharged without advocacy and sensitization of citizens, for which you are a central institution in Nigeria” he added.

He praised NOA’s nationwide presence, innovative media platforms like NOA TV, NOA Radio, and the AI-powered chatbot “CLHEEAN,” saying they have significantly improved government-to-citizen engagement.

“Your commitment to fostering AI-powered data management is a very good opportunity for targeted strategic communication,” he said.

Yakubu said that voter mobilisation remains a priority and encouraged NOA to continue working with civil society, political parties, and the media to increase voter turnout, especially among women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

“It is for this reason that the National Orientation Agency has been included in the expanded membership of our Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security,” he added.

Earlier, NOA Director-General, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the agency was undergoing a major transformation aimed at repositioning it to better serve democratic objectives.

“When I got to NOA, we had only three programme departments out of 12,” he said, adding that “today we have 16 departments, with 8 programme departments, including the newly created Department of Civic Values and Democracy Education.”

He said the agency had revamped its outreach strategy using both traditional and digital tools, including weekly newsletters, AI-driven feedback mechanisms, and a network of over 818 local offices nationwide. (Daily Trust)