N54bn voter registration: machine shortages, low batteries, protects mar exercise

Posted by admin Latest Politics Saturday, January 15th, 2011

NIGERIA yesterday began the first leg of the April general elections with the commencement of voters’ registration across the states of the federation

and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on a shaky note.

Apathy, insufficient supply of the DDC machines as well as low battery occasioning poor functions of the DDC machines were reported in many states across the country in an exercise which has cost the nation about N54 billion.

Bayelsa: Jega asures Nigerians
AS the general election draws near, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, yesterday assured Nigerians that the commission would meet the January 29 target for the registration of all eligible voters in the country.

Prof Jega gave the assurance shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan and members of his family registered at Otuoke in the Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa State.

President Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan and his mother, Madam Jonathan were registered at ward 13, Otazi polling unit, Otuoke amidst tight security.

The registration of the first family was witnessed by the Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, the governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, Commander of the Joint Task Force, Major General Charles Omoregie, the state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Musa and other service chiefs.

The INEC who had earlier gone round some of the registration centres in Yenagoa while speaking with newsmen after the departure of the President called on Nigerians to ensure that they register while the exercise last to enable them exercise their franchise at the general election.Jega disclosed that 120,000 DDC machines were earmarked for the exercise which is expected to last from January 15 to January 29, even as he explained that the commission had already deployed 98,000, to the various centres across the country adding that deployment of the remaining machines in the next few days would further enhance the registration exercise.

The INEC boss further explained that in spite of the enormous preparation put in place by the commission to ensure the process commences on time it had its challenges.

He added that the exercise is not free of some challenges, as men and materials did not arrive on time and in some other places, and that the commission would prevail on the machine expert redress the slow fingerprint scanning; and appeal to nigerians to be patient assuring that the problems would be resolved.

“If we put what we have started today into context Nigerians will appreciate what has gone into our planning and operation and what we have been able to achieve in spite of the challenges.

Abuja: NSCDC boss assures Nigerians
The first day of voters’ registration in Abuja was greeted with flaws, anger, frustration and disappointment for Abuja residents who filed out to partake in Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-organised exercise.

Professor Attahiru Jega-led INEC had scheduled the voters’ registration to hold between January 15 and 29.

Even the corps members that are serving as registration officers at different locations in the city bared their minds on problem they are facing with the procured Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines.

This came just as the Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr. Ade Abolurin, who went round the city to monitor the exercise told frustrated individuals at the centres that the exercise would succeed as the hitches being experienced at the registration centers were expected, being the first day of the exercise.

Most of the registration centres visited by Sunday Tribune were facing serious challenges in registering those who came to be registered with the DDC machines.

Centres visited by Sun-day Tribune include, Maitama 1, Model Primary School, where only 6 persons’ data were properly captured. At Folade Oke Pri-mary School, Minister’s Hill 2, registration commenced by 12:05, while at Mpape 1, registration commenced by 12:25 pm. When the NSCDC arrived the venue, the DDC machines were not available there.

Also at the Wuse zone 7, registration center 017, only 4 persons were completely registered with their voter’s cards given to them.

At all the registration centers, Sunday Tribune observed that the scanners were not functioning properly, as it took almost three minutes for the scanner to capture the imprint of a finger.

Lagos: Fashola explains schools closure
LAGOS State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), on Thursday, appealed to parents whose wards had been asked to stay at home till the completion of the forthcoming voters’ registration exercise to see it as a sacrifice made to ensure safety of the children.

Governor Fashola, who spoke in an interview with newsmen at the secretariat of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), after his emergence as the governorship candidate of the party in the 2011 elections, urged every stakeholder to give the opportunity the very best that could be given to it by going out to register with a view to getting it right this time around, thereby preventing a future closure of schools for purpose of registering.

“This is a very difficult decision for us in Lagos State, a painful decision which we took in the best interest of our people. For us, the interest of the students, their parents and their guardians is always uppermost in our minds. We have looked at the issue of the 265 public schools that would be used during the exercise which would witness a lot of people coming in from the 8: am to 5: pm time duration.

Kwara: Saraki seeks support for exercise
KWARA State governor, Dr Bukola Saraki has called on Nigerians to support INEC in the first leg of the country’s electoral process by ensuring that they participate in the on-going voters’ registration exercise.

The governor made the call at the weekend while performing registration at his Opobiyi Ward in Agbaji quarters, Ilorin to kick-start the voters’ registration exercise in the state.

He enjoined every patriotic Nigerian citizen to make the voters’ registration exercise his priority, saying that obtaining a voter’s card should not be the responsibility of politicians alone.

According to him, to have a credible election in the country, we must commence with the process of voters’ registration and that is what INEC is doing right now across the country.

Sokoto: INEC receives 2,732 DDC machines
THE Sokoto State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Hussaini Mahuta, has said that the commission received 2,732 Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines for the on-going voters’ registration exercise.

He told a press conference in Sokoto, on Friday, that the machines were 303 short of the 3,035 required for the 3,035 registration centers spread in the 244 wards in the state.

He said the commission was still expecting the remaining machines from Abuja but that the exercise would commence as scheduled.

“This will not affect us for now as we have merged some smaller registration centers pending the receipt of the balance of the DDC machines,” the REC explained.

Plateau: NYSC members protest
OVER 100 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members staged a peace demonstration in Jos, on Saturday, following their alleged replacement of the names with untrained people by the authority of INEC in the state.

Sunday Tribune learnt that corp members who trooped out for the exercise in the Hausa/Fulani dominated areas were shocked to find out that they have been replaced by people who did not undergo training with them.

Some of the NYSC members, who spoke with Sunday Tribune, said they were recruited for the exercise and undergone the required training and as well sacrificed their Christmas and new year break for the training only to be shortchanged at the dying minute.

According to their spokesman, they were shocked to discover that their names have been virtually replaced, adding that only five of them saw their names on the board.

Sultan, groups charge Nigerians
THE Sultan of Sokoto and the President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad has called on Nigerians to participate fully in the on going voter’s registration exercise.

According to NSCIA Secretary General, Dr. Abdullateef Adegbite, the Sultan on Saturday called on Nigerian Muslims who are 18 years and above to register and vote in the April general elections.

He asserted that voter’s registration was the cornerstone of modern democratic practice.

He warned that if Nigerians failed to register, they would not be able to vote to elect their leaders in the coming election.

He added that Muslims must therefore use the opportunity of the voter’s registration exercise which has commenced nationwide to troop out to the registration centres to register.

“Remember that your vote is the political weapon you have to access good leaders you can trust to serve your interest and ensure good governance. Therefore, secure your vote by registering forthwith,” he said.

In a related development, some groups have called on Nigerians irrespective of their political and religious affiliations to see the exercise as a religious duty by fully participating in it.

In separate press statements on Saturday, the groups: Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA) and Movement for Islamic Cultural Awareness (MICA), both called for full participation.

Rivers: Gov wants extension
THE Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has called for an extension of the days set aside for the voters’ registration exercise.

Meanwhile, the opening day of the registration exercise was fraught with various technical inadequacies, frustrating both the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as those who went out to get registered.

Governor Amaechi made the call to the INEC on Saturday while being registered in his home ward in Ubima, noting the time taken to register one person.

The governor said the registration process is rigorous, painstaking and detailed, therefore would require more time from the original two weeks.

The governor said, “my only advice to INEC is that they should consider extension of time because the process is rigorous and it is time consuming,” noting that patience is key in the exercise, both on the side of INEC and eligible voters, to ensure a hitch free exercise.

Ekiti: Corps members reject posting
PROTESTS by youth corps members expected to serve with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over their postings and late arrival of the Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines impeded a smooth take-off of the voters’ registration exercise started nationwide on Saturday in Ekiti State.

Some of the youth corps members mobilized for the exercise were said to have complained of having been posted to “remote areas.”

Though it was revealed that the commission had received 1, 976 DCC machines out of the 2, 360 expected in the state, the exercise could not start smoothly as the machines did not get to their destinations on time.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Isyaku Maigoro, who addressed journalists at the state headquarters of INEC in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, however, said the complaints of the corps members would be treated as a breach of the agreement the INEC reached with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

He also threatened to report any corps member who turned down his or her posting to the NYSC for adequate sanction, adding that no posting would be changed during the exercise.

Maigoro said his office was still expecting additional 384 machines, apart from the 1976 that had already been deployed in the state.

He added that the available machines had been distributed to 13 of the 16 local government areas of the state for the commencement of the exercise.

Osun: Lack of DDC machine stolls exercise
THE ongoing voter registration exercise started on a bad note in many local governments in Osun State yesterday, as the materials for for the exercise were not distributed to some wards in the state.

In Obokun Local government, Sunday Tribune learnt that only five wards out of ten had few machines, while indigines of Ilare, Otan-Ile, Eda-Odo and others as at 12 noon were at the registration centres waiting for the INEC officials to commence the exercise.

In Eripa in Boripe Local Government, though voters were eventually registered, low battery of the DDC machines prevented them from going home with their voters’ cards.

Niger:Low turn out as exercise begins
IN Niger state, low turn out of people was recorded as the voter registration exercise took off nationwide on Saturday.

Sunday Tribune learnt that the refusal of people to turn out could be lack of enough information about the centres for the registration.

The development has forced Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of the state to express fear that the low and slow pace of the registration exercise in the state could render a large percentage of voters disenfranchised.

Aliyu who spoke at his Musa Umaru centre in Minna where he registered also described the process as cumbersome and time consuming, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission to start thinking of extending the registration period in order to ensure that all eligible voters were registered.

The governor later addressed the people of the state during which he enjoined them to turn out and register in order to exercise their civic responsibility during this year’s election.

“Undoubtedly, the 2011 elections will be a watershed in the political history of our great country, as we shall be opening a new chapter in our democratic evolution, half a century after we gained political independence’.

“We therefore, have a duty to ensure that we get the elections right, at all cost, to lay the foundation, once again, for the sustainable development of our nation.

“One of the ways to get the elections right is by going out to be registered during the voter registration exercise, which started today, Saturday, 15th January, 2011.”

Ondo: Violent protests over inadequate machines
THE much awaited registration of voters could not take place in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Saturday, as youths prevented the take off of the exercise over inadequate Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines.

The youths locked officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) up in an office and sent the Electoral Officer away from the office to go and augment the shortfall in the machines.

The youths, numbering about 300, besieged many registration centres in the council and sent away corps members and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, who were on ground for the exercise.

Sunday Tribune learnt that the youths were protesting lack of adequate materials and officials sent to the area to carry out the exercise.

Even the method of distribution of the machines, according to Mr Leke Felix, was lopsided.

The Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Mr. Aremu Adeniran, who confirmed the development, however, said that his men were on top of the situation to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

Meanwhile, the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and his wife, Olukemi were registered in Ondo town by the Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, Mr. Samson Awujoola.

Mimiko was registred at exactly 9.20 am by Awujoola at the Lodasa/Iparuku/Lijoka Registration Unit in the town and was presented with a Voters’ Card No: PU 28/16/07/020.

The governor commended the permanent and adhoc staff of INEC for their punctuality and enjoined them to replicate that at other units across the state while the exercise lasted.

Mimiko also used the occasion to urge prospective voters to ensure that they were registered and also to be patient while being registered.

Jigawa: DDC machine shortage
THE on-going voters’ registration could not begin in the 336 units in Jigawa State, due to shortage of Direct Data Capture machines.

Report from the state indicated that the state INEC office did not receive the complete number of the machine requested for from the national headquarters, Abuja.

It was also observed that the state INEC distributed the available machines and other materials very late, which subsequently delayed the take-off of the exercise yesterday at most of the registration units.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the state INEC, Sirajo Usman Kore, confirmed the shortage of the machine, saying the commission had received 3,174 DDC machines as against 3,527 required to cover all units in the state.

Oyo: Voters’ registration flops
The voters’ registration exercise, which commenced nationwide on Saturday, suffered a setback in Oyo State as the exercise failed to take off despite the arrangement that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) claimed it had put in place to ensure the success of the exercise.

Registration of voters, which should have started at 8am, failed to commence owing to the absence of INEC officials from registration centres across the state.

When Sunday Tribune visited some centres across the state at a few minutes past 1pm, those who wanted to register were seen hanging around the cenres, such as Seventh Day Adventist Primary School, Foko, Ward 2 at Alaadorin, all in Ibadan South West Local Government Area of the state.The people of Akingbile in Akinyele Local Government Area of the state similarly stood helplessly waiting for the arrival of the INEC officials, while the situation was neither different in Okeho, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Iseyin and Eruwa, including many major cities in the state.

Some of the people, who spoke with Sunday Tribune, blamed INEC for not being circumspect about the exercise, wondering why it failed to start the registration, despite massive media campaign that heralded it.

They decried INEC’s laxity, adding that it raised a lot of questions about the ability, preparedness and sincerity of the commission to conduct free and fair elections in April since, according to them, it had failed the litmus test of organising a hitch-free voters’ registration.

They told Sunday Tribune that most of the INEC’s officials in the state had gone to Ogbomoso for an undisclosed assignment, noting that the state INEC should not be held responsible for the laxity.

The state governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has, however, advocated a continuous registration of people who have attained the age of 18 rather than waiting for the period of election, adding that such arrangement will also cut down the cost of conducting the registration when done piecemeal. He said this when he and his wife were registered on Saturday at Ward 10, Sabo Taraa, Ogbomosho. The registration, which was performed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Oyo State, Mr Ayo Adakeja, also had in attendance the state director of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr Gabriel Ibe.

Ogun: Gov canvasses for successful exercise
OGUN State Governor, Chief Gbenga Daniel, has said that the success of the voters’ registration exercise that kicked off on Saturday, across the nation will prevent election rigging.

Daniel said this shortly after he had registered at Ward 12, Isote Sagamu, saying that the biggest challenge to successful election was often caused when the registration process was muddled up.

He appealed to residents of Ogun State and the generality of Nigerians to troop out en masse to participate in the exercise.

He described registration as very important and one of the key significant steps in a democratic process since people cannot vote for leaders of their choice without voters’ card.

Governor Daniel who was registered along with his wife, Chief (Mrs) Olufunke Daniel, assured the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Martins Okunfolami and the National Commissioner, Professor Lai Olurode, who was also at the venue of his government’s support.

Okunfolami who supervised the registration of the governor and his wife said Ogun INEC was prepared to resister 1.6 million voters.

He advised eligible voters who are 18 years and above to register at the nearest centre to their residence so that they would be able to vote during elections.

He said the machines for the exercise had been configured for each ward to capture biometric information, fingerprints while those who register would be provided with temporary voters cards.

Bauchi: Low turn out recorded
THE voters’ registration exercise started yesterday in Bauchi but with low turn out of people particularly women, just as unavailability of the Direct Data Capturing Machines in some areas did not allow the exercise to take-off immediately.

Sunday Tribune correspondent who went round Bauchi Metropolis observed the exercise was peaceful and eligible voters, majority of them male, queued up for the exercise and expressed satisfaction with the way and manner the exercise was going.

Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, yesterday at the Baba Sidi Primary School Bauchi, centre of the exercise, formally registered his name to signal the commencement of the exercise where the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Senator Iliya Audu said non arrival of the DDM had affected the exercise in Kirfi, Shira and Gamawa Local government areas.

Borno: Low turn out in Maiduguri
The voters’ registration excercise, which commenced yesterday throughout the federation, suffered low turnout in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Sunday Tribune reports that, the state governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who was supposed to register at his ward in his local government, Ngala, was said to be attending the ANPP convention in Abuja.

INEC Commissiner in the state, Professor Ham-man Tukur Saad told newsmen that the exercise would not hold in some local government areas in the Northern Borno owing to the non arrival of the DDC machines.

He said the local government areas include: Aba-dam, Mobbar, Kukawa, Marte, Magumeri and Gubio.

Zamfara: Registration suffers setback
THE ongoing voters’ registration started on a wobble note in Zamfara yesterday, as the exercise suffered a little hitch in some parts of the state.

Sunday Tribune investigation revealed that there was late arrival of voters’ registration materials in most registration centres, especially in Unguwar Dallatu, Hajin Buba, Tudun Wader, Kankuri, all in Gusau metropolis.

The situation was the same in other parts of the state.

-Tribunewp_posts

Short URL: https://newnigerianpolitics.com/?p=2404

Posted by admin on Jan 15 2011. Filed under Latest Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry