Reactions Trail Voters’ Registration In Rivers

Barely ten days to the deadline for the on-going voters registration, most eligible voters are still not impressed with the poor performance of INEC Direct Data Capture Machines (DDCM) in Rivers State.

This followed revelations that some registration centres technically abandoned the finger print machines because of its poor performance, thereby causing disaffection among eligible voters.

Our correspondents that monitored the registration exercise reported that many of the DDCM deployed to the state are technically defective while other units have not received enough machines to cover the massive eligible voters at various centres.

The state Resident Electoral Commission, Mr. Aniedu Ikoiwark confirmed this, when he was reported to have said computer engineers and experts have been deployed to most registration units across the state to improve on the speed of the machines.

At Agip Estate in Port Harcourt only 70 eligible voters were reported to have registered due to low battery in the machine, since the exercise started.

One of the eligible voters, Mr. Theophilus Amadi call for extension, as according to him, he visited the Agip estate registration over two days without his finger print captured by the machine.

In Andoni, the Chairman, Hon. Kingsley Silvanus said he has already sent his appeal to INEC for the extension of the on-going voters registration. According to him, the 207 DDCM deployed to Ngo was not enough and they are too slow to capture the massive turn out of eligible voters.

Chief Ephraim Etete-Owhoh, who corraborated the arguments of Hon. Silvanus explained that the exercise would not be effective with the poor performance of the DDCM.

He reasoned that INEC should settle for the manual or immediately correct the anomalies inherent in the DDCM in the area.

In ASALGA, the DDCM sent to the 13 ward, is not enough and even the machines already on ground is not performing effectively.

At Etche except for the initial hitches due to poor performance of the finger print machine, the 207 DDCM, sent to the area were deployed effectively for optional use.

The INEC Officer in Okehi, Dr. Gabriel Okoye said already security has been beefed up at the council headquarter to protect the machines.

When contacted on phone, the INEC PRO in the state, Mrs Tonia Nwobi admitted that there were some lapses when the exercise started, but said on the average, the slow pace arising from the poor state of some of the machines has been rectified.

As I am talking to you, she said, “The INEC Commissioner and team are in Tai to correct few anomalies”.

No fewer than 70 million Nigerians are expected to be registered in about 120,000 centres throughout the country.

It will be recalled that the last voters registration exercise was conducted in 2006 in the country.

Philip Okparaji, Ike Wigodo, John Bibor Enoch Epelle/Akujobi Amadi