Voters To Get Permanent Cards By 2015

The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, says the commission will issue permanent voters card to all eligible voters in the country by 2015.

He gave this assurance in Abuja when he received the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Mike Omeri.

“With the approval of the contract by the Federal Executive Council, we are looking forward to within this year, to be able to issue permanent voters card to millions of Nigerians in the first phase of the distributions of the cards.

“Our objective is that by 2015 every eligible registered voter in Nigeria will be issued a permanent voter card that would contain all the necessary information and details of the voter which is embedded in the card.”

According to him, the chip-based permanent voters cards will guarantee eligible voters the right to vote during elections.

“The commission would spare no effort to make the 2015 general elections is not only the best in Nigeria’s political history, but also the most acceptable to citizens.”

He said the commission would rely on modern technology in the electioneering process to ensure efficiency and credibility of the elections.

“We will continue to do our best to bring remarkable improvement to the electioneering process, but we can only succeed through wide range of partnership with other stakeholders and organisations like NOA.”

Jega said the collaboration with NOA was necessary because of its role in dissemination of information, sensitisation and mobilisation of Nigerians for national development.

He commended the efforts of NOA in sensitising eligible voters in previous elections, which he said had helped to facilitate the successes recorded.