The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Gombe State has commenced training for Registration Area Officers (RAOs) as part of preparations for the in-person phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
The training, which began at Women Development Centre, brought together RAOs and Electoral Officers from the 11 local government areas, staff of the Voter Registry/ICT department, and members of the State Management team.
Speaking at the opening session, on Friday, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Gombe State, Dr Sa’ad Idris, described voter registration as the foundation of credible elections.
“The credibility of any election begins with a credible registration process. This training is designed to refresh the knowledge of our RAOs and ensure they are conversant with updated registration software,” Idris added.
He warned that the 2025/2026 CVR exercise would “not be business as usual,” stressing that staff must demonstrate integrity and professionalism throughout the process.
“I assure you that all your entitlements will be paid in full, but any breach of duty—such as delegating responsibilities to unauthorized persons—will attract strict sanctions,” the REC cautioned.
Idris further tasked Electoral Officers at the LGA level with effective supervision of the exercise, saying he would personally monitor activities through field visits and feedback from the public.
Ahead of the training, the REC had also approved the release of public address systems to LGA offices to boost voter education and sensitization on the CVR. He directed the Head of VR/ICT to ensure proper configuration of the INEC Voter Enlightenment Device (IVED) and to prioritize practical simulations during the training sessions.
“We want to ensure that both our staff and the public are adequately prepared for this important exercise,” Idris added.
