Enugu Gets 365 Additional DDC Machines

With a few days to the end of the voter registration, the INEC in Enugu has taken delivery of additional 365 Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines.

This brings the number so far received in Enugu to 2,300 as against 2,958 machines expected to cover all identified polling units in the state.

The INEC Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Samuel Bassey, said that the machines would be distributed to some areas immediately after inspection.

The machines were part of the 715 machines expected to be delivered by Avante, one of the contractors that supply them to INEC.

Zinox and Haier have already supplied their own quota to Enugu INEC.

In another development, an Enugu Magistrate’s Court has struck out a case between Enugu Housing Development Corporation (ENHDC) and some tenants of Real Estate, Uwani.

The tenants had ignored alleged illegal notice issued them to vacate their premises.

In a ruling on Tuesday in Enugu, Presiding Magistrate Emmanuel Nwaro, said that the case was struck out because the notice for vacation was obtained illegally.

According to the magistrate, the person who issued the notices was not a legal practitioner and had no right to do that.

Nwaro, however, awarded N1,000 cost to a defendant, Mr Fred Okechukwu for being dragged to the court unnecessarily by the plaintiff, Enugu Housing Corporation.

The corporation had been ejecting occupants of the estate and re-allocating them to indigenes of Enugu State.

Counsel to 15 defendants, Dr Chukwuemeka Anyogu condemned the act, noting that the residents had been living in the estate for over 40 years.

“It is wrong to eject the residents simply because they are non-indigenes of the state.

“They do not owe the state government and are ready to purchase the flats, if offered the opportunity,’’ Anyogu said.

The matter was, however, adjourned to January 26 for hearing of other defendants.

The Real Estate was built during the regime of late Chief Ukpabi Asika as Administrator of East Central State.