Voters Cards: INEC Raises Alarm Over Non-collection

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu State has decried failure of voters to come and collect their cards in spite of the forthcoming 2011 general elections.

The Administrative Secretary of the Commission in Enugu State, Mr Roy Obijuru, told newsmen in Enugu recently that Nsukka and Igbo-Etiti Local Government Areas were the worst hit.

“Nsukka is a peculiar area apparently because most of the students who registered had left the institution without collecting their cards.

“As I speak with you now, not up to 10 per cent of the total voters’ cards have been collected and these cards will not be given by proxies to forestall people using it for ulterior motives,’’ he explained.

Obijuru said they had since commenced the revalidation of voters register and enjoined the electorate to avail themselves of the opportunity provided by the exercise to register.

He stressed the need for people not to wait until it was too close to election date before registering, saying, “I do not know why Nigerians find it difficult to do things at the right time’’.

On the 2011 general elections, he said that INEC was prepared for the polls but expressed regret that delays in  passage of the electoral reform bill was stalling fixing of actual date for elections as well as the process to adopt.

Obijuru noted that the commission was putting in place strategies to conduct more credible elections but urged political parties and politicians to play the game according to the rules.

“It appears that they have a mind set to rig or engage in malpractice. That perhaps, why they do not approve of any strategy that is devoid of rigging.

“We suggested the use of electoral voting machines for elections, they refused, we talked of modified open ballot, they rejected it.

“Tell me why they are finding it difficult to pass the electoral reform bill,’’ he said.