Despite the release additional 209 machines by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ease the registration of voters’ exercise, the Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization, Aba chapter, Professor Charles Chinekezi has urged the commission to send more machines to the South-East.
Recall that in response to the demands of Nigerians for more registration machines over the sudden surge of eligible Nigerians to register in some states, INEC responded by releasing additional 209 machines to help.
However, INEC said the 209 registration machines were deployed mainly to the five South Eastern states, Lagos and Kano where the pressure is most acute. According to a statement by the National Commissioner in charge of INEC Publicity and Chairman Voter Education, Festus Okoye said that the release of the machines was to address the sudden surge.
However, Chinekezi while speaking in Aba, applauded INEC for extending the registration deadline and increasing the number of registration machines in use in Lagos, Kano, and the five South-East states, but stressed that 209 machines shared among 179 local governments of Lagos, Kano and South-East were inadequate to ease the registration process.
Chinekezi further asked the electoral umpire to add more machines and registration points in the South East to ensure the persons coming for registration are not frustrated into withdrawal. He said, “If we must achieve anything in this election preparation time, we need to do things differently. “INEC some days ago announced the release of 209 registration machines to be given to jumbo states of Kano, Lagos and the five South-East States. “The South-East has 95 local government areas densely populated and intense with political activities and INEC has received reports that in the South East LGAs, there are only one or two machines to register people.
“This is frustrating to potential voters especially those in the rural areas without access to the online registration platform because it keeps them in the queue all day long only to be asked to return the next day. “And at the end, nobody explains why they have to stay online all day long and be told to return the following day.
“If INEC does not change this trend, all the positive achievements of INEC will only turn around to look like a deliberate earlier rigging of an election that will take place one year ahead.” Chinekezi said INEC should remove the self-imposed clogs on the registration processes to ensure more persons are registered and no one is disenfranchised.
He said that INEC has not also been making adequate efforts to give registered Nigerians their PVC hence the high number of unclaimed PVCs. Chinekezi said Nigeria cannot pretend to be building a nation if Nigerians continue to be treated as if their interest does not matter by INEC. He said that over 65 per cent of registered Nigerians do not have their PVC hence the nation kept recording comparatively low turnout in past elections.
“If INEC does not change its operational style in this election season, the World cannot fathom what will happen to Nigeria and Nigerians themselves after the next election”, he said. Chinekezi called on INEC to investigate the reported registration of underage persons in some parts of the country noting that unless INEC sorted this problem, such could mar the 2023 elections.
