Knocks on INEC over ‘failure’ of card readers

MORE Nigerians have reacted to the alleged failure
of the card readers in some parts of the country
during the presidential and National Assembly
elections held at the weekend, blaming the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
for the situation.
Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State
challenged INEC to avail the Nigerian public the
identities of the suppliers of the equipment as well
as the cost of the contract.
Speaking to newsmen at his residence in Minna, the
state capital shortly after casting his vote, Aliyu,
who was a senatorial candidate of the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) for Niger East in the
election, noted that making those details available
to the public would enable them make informed
judgment about the workability or otherwise of the
equipment.
On a personal level, he declared that the equipment,
rather than adding value to the whole electoral
process, had succeeded in creating more panic in the
system, lamenting that 16 years down the line, the
Nigerian democracy had experienced several trial and
error processes.
For Governor Aliyu, the card reader has not added
value to the whole electoral process, instead, it has
created some panic in the minds of the people.
Though it did not take him long to be accredited, the
governor, confirmed that he had to use all his 10
fingers before one was eventually accepted.
“For me, the process didn’t take long, but my 10
fingers had to be used before one of them got
accepted by the machine. But I had thought that
anything to be done must add value to what you are
doing, I thought that was the concept of the card
reader.
“I have received complaints already in some local
governments where the card reader did not work,
and we said they should follow what INEC had
already said. Where it is not working, you can by
pass it and other things, but up till today, I’m still
not convinced that it has added any value to the
situation.”
For me, the process didn’t take long, but my 10
fingers had to be used before one of them got
accepted by the machine. But I had thought that
anything to be done must add value to what you are
doing, I thought that was the concept of the card
reader
The governor expressed the need for INEC to begin
early preparation for e-voting immediately after
the April 11 elections so that the next round of
elections in 2019 should not suffer this kind of
embarrassment.
Also, Governor Aliyu would want the commission to
tell Nigerians the status of the earlier claims by the
Department of State Services about the alleged
cloning of the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) by
some persons in Lagos, saying coming out clean by
the commission would permanently lay to rest the
conspiracy theory surrounding the PVCs.
“I’m very much concerned, when we are going to
electronic voting, then we should start the process
early enough, that is immediately after the April
elections. We should not wait until it is six weeks to
the election then you begin to introduce something
new, that is not fair to the people and I would love
to know the contractor and the amount of the
contract that was awarded, for his do-called card
reader, and then what happens to it after the
elections. Is it going to be used now and discarded or
will the information remain? Since what we have
seen is called permanent voter’s card, that reader
must also be permanent because that is where we
have information about me.
“ I think we should be ready to deal with all these
issues squarely, otherwise will be wasting a lot of
resources unnecessarily. I believe that by now,
after 16 years, we should be adding more, and not
bringing new things into the system that we have
not really been familiar with. After this election, I
believe we should use the two weeks to correct
whatever anomaly had been found and then by April
11, after that election, we must begin to talk about
what will happen in 2019: is it electronic voting ?.
“The law says no electronic voting, but somebody
issued the card reader and said it is only for
accreditation. But when we say election, everything
that has to do with it is part of that election. Alls
these technicality, we must avoid them.”
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Hajia Asabe
Asma’u Ahmed, at one of the polling units, said she
was satisfied that after initial hiccups, INEC was
able to get it right for people to exercise their
franchise.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after casting her vote
at the Uphill Polling Unit, where two former Nigerian
military leaders, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and
Abdulsalami Abubakar voted, the minister said,
“After initial hiccups, they had to take card readers
back to be re activated. For me, a number of people
had issues. A number of people went through it for
10 to 12 times, but on the whole, quite a number of
people have had their verifications done and the
process is moving along very quickly.
“One of the good things is that somebody is taking
note of the incidents, the incident in this case is
the behavior of card readers. All the card readers,
at every stage, had problems but on the whole, the
card, in many cases, did not misbehave after the
initial hiccups. I expect the vote itself to pass off
peacefully.”
In Cross River State, a lawmaker has said the
Chairman of INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega, should be
made to face the consequences of failure of the
card readers.
The House of Representatives member from Abi/
Yakurr Federal
Constituency of Cross River State, Mr. Bassey Ewa
castigated the Jega, saying he should be blamed for
the situation. Ewa, who spoke to newsmen at his
country home in Ekori, Yakurr Local Government of
Cross River State flayed the conduct of the
exercise which he said was disappointing.
According to him, the INEC chairman has failed
Nigerians because the card readers ought to have
been duly tested to ascertain its functionality
before being put to use nationwide. “Nigerians are
ready to exercise their franchise, but let me say and
say it very clear that we are disappointed in the way
INEC and Jega have failed this country.
“I hope the international community will appreciate
the concern earlier raised by some Nigerians on the
use of the card reader that was never tried or
tested in any election conducted in this country.
“This is unacceptable to us practicing politicians.
What I have seen here touches at the very fabric of
the existence of this country and should be frowned
at by every Nigerian. Jega should be made to pay for
the failure of this election.”

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