Rivers State Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru, has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to send more direct data capturing machines, scanners, printers and materials to the various voters registration centers in Andoni Local Government Area of the state.              

Engr. Ikuru who made the appeal shortly after a tour of the 11 wards in the Area on  Wednesday observed that there was hardly any registration centre visited that had no problems of shortage of machines and lack of materials.

At Egbomu in Ward 7, Engr. Ikuru was bemused to find a long queue of people waiting to be registered while the registration officials battled with the computer for the registration exercise to commence. Before leaving the centre, the Deputy Governor promised that he would take the problems of the people to the appropriate authority for possible release of more machines.

From Ward One, Ngo, the council headquarters to Ataba, Ward 11, the experience was the same, as the people complained about inadequate machines and materials to register the eligible voters.

At Ekede, headquarters of Ward 4, Deacon Emma Ikwut said, out of 18 registration centres, only 11 were supplied with machines and with seven centres not having machines. Similarly, at Samanga, Ward 8, Chief Dr. Silas Eneyo complained that out of the nine units in the Ward, only five had been supplied with machines, calling on INEC to supply the remaining four machines.  

Also speaking at Ward 5, Ikuru Town, Hon Gogo Levi Charles, the state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning ascribed the large turnout of people to the sensitization campaign mounted by the community to get people to register. But six out of the 19 centres in the ward were not supplied with machines.