INEC May Extend Voters' Registration

INEC May Extend Voters' Registration

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has given an indication that the voter‘s registration period may be extended beyond January 29 th, to assuage the delays and complaints that have trailed the exercise and allow all prospective voters to participate.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, has also acknowledged the hassles when he appeared before federal lawmakers. He said that the registration could be elongated if necessary.

Jega said that the shortage of machines caused by Avante, a company based in the United States , will be solved by Saturday when the remaining machines will arrive in Nigeria , after which the registration will progress flawlessly.

He pleaded with Nigerians to be patient and to contribute positively to the process, as the INEC alone cannot do it without their full participation.

“Over 80 percent of the machines in the field are being re-configured, and that is why in the last two days many are saying there is a remarkable improvement in the registration. We have been able to reduce the average ti me of registration. In our earlier configuration, the average time of registration was about seven minutes but presently, the average time of registration is four minutes.” Professor Jega said.

President Jonathan told a group of Northern politicians, who were in Abuja to congratulate him for winning the ruling Peoples Democratic Party presidential ticket, that every eligible voter will be registered.

He said the complaints by many people of having to queue for long hours showed the widespread eagerness of Nigerians to perform their civic duties, hence the government will encourage them.

He admitted that the Direct Data Capture machines were slow in some cases and said the training of National Youth Service Corps members for the exercise may have been inadequate.

''We will get through these challenges. We will not stop until all eligible voters have registered. The complaints by Nigerians show that so many are interested in registering,” Jonathan stressed.

Reactions have trailed registration

Stakeholders, including pro-democracy groups, have continued to react to the hitches trailing the ongoing voter's registration.

The Action Congress of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, said that the use of Direct Data Capture Machines had posed a serious challenge to a successful voter's registration update.The party expressed concerns that the hitches might affect the April polls.

ACN's Financial Secretary, Mr Hammed Olanrewaju, said that the malfunctioning machines were frustrating the participation of register adults.

''If it takes long to register a person, then thousands of people may be disenfranchised and the country may not achieve its objective of a hitch-free poll in April,'' he said.

Olanrewaju had also called on the government to consider extending the two weeks allotted for the exercise to enable more people to register.

The Civil Liberties Organisation, an NGO, said the hitches that had characterised the exercise were preventable.

“With these observations, there is doubt over hitch-free polls in April,'' said the CLO Chairman, Mr. Eneruvie Enakoko.

He said the machines ought to have been tested before they were deployed.

More personnel and tools

To speed up the exercise, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state has called on INEC to deploy more personnel and equipment.

He said that backup batteries and additional personnel were necessary for the success of exercise.

“I think INEC should deploy more personnel to gain the time that has been lost if it will not be extended. This exercise is useful if only we get it correctly; people are being disenfranchised while other people are feeling this may not work. ..So, we must regain the confidence and the enthusiasm of Nigerians who have embraced the exercise by coming out in large numbers,'' Fasola said.

Mr. John Osamade, Director-General, National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture urged Nigerians to be more patient, saying the exercise was key to credible, free and fair polls.

In Badagry, INEC's ad hoc officials complained of the dearth of registration materials.

“In addition to inadequate or non-supply of materials in some centres, some of the machines were also faulty,'' said the official.

INEC Electoral Officer for Badagry, Mr. Leke Hassan, confirmed on Tuesday, that registration materials and the machines were still being expected.

“We are expecting the machines and the materials meant for some centres and as soon as we get them, registration will commence immediately,” he said.

Also speaking, the spokesman for INEC, Lagos state, Mr. Femi Akinbiyi, said that the hitches were expected as the exercise had just taken off.

“The hitches are expected being the first few days of the exercise; I am sure that they will be corrected subsequently,'' he said.

Reports say about a week into the voter's registration, some centres across the states are now operating without hitches.

The eligible voters, who turned up at the centres are now expressing joy at the improvement.

A teacher, Mr. Emeka Ume, said that the situation had improved unlike what it was on Sunday when some people returned home in frustration after staying on the queue for a long time.

“I was here at 10 a.m. and was the second person to get registered. I thought I was going to be delayed. I am glad I now have my voter's card, “ Ume said.

Another eligible voter, Mrs. Rita Okonkwo, however, said that she was not totally satisfied with the exercise.

  “It still takes a long time to get registered. This is my third time of coming down to this centre,'' Okonkwo said.

Mr. Franklin Okechukwu, who claimed to have travelled worldwide, was not happy with the slow nature of the exercise. “I have been to some European countries and their system is not as slow. People go out to register and they are done within a few minutes. “I cannot comprehend why some of the machines are still giving problems, although it has improved from what we saw two days ago,'' Okechukwu said.

In Anambra state, eastern Nigeria , reports say six days into the voter registration, over 800 polling units were yet to get the DDC machines.

Governor Peter Obi said in Awka, that the fact that the registration was very slow where the machines are available is because they malfunction or corps members cannot operate them properly.

Obi said he had expressed his concern to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, but declined to call for extension of time since that can only be determined as the deadline approaches. 

“I believe they are doing something and we are watching what they are doing. As we approach the 14 days we will see what they are doing,” he said. 

Despite the hiccups, he added, “We must encourage our people to come out en masse to register so that they will have a say in who governs them at various levels…This is one clear way of restoring integrity to leadership.''

In Ondo, Governor Olusegun Mimiko visited some registration centres in Akure. He expressed concerns over the technical hitches, and urged INEC to brace up.

Mimiko commended the enthusiasm of the people to register, but noted. “The performance is less than satisfactory; the pace of registration is disturbing. There are basically some technical errors in some of the machines. In some cases, the INEC is trying to solve some of these problems, but there are many of them.”

Mimiko commended residents for their patriotism and enthusiasm, appealing to them to be patient with the INEC and not to be discouraged by the challenges.

“I want to especially thank our people. I've gone round and learnt that our people have been waiting from 6 a.m. to 5pm to get registered. That level of commitment and enthusiasm is uncommon. “

The minimum condition is that this time frame has to be extended. 

NAN/with additional reports from NP/Margaret/Yinka