Hoodlums Cart Away INEC Materials In Enugu

The ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise taking place across the country , has suffered a set back in Enugu state, South-East Nigeria, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised alarm over the  carting away of its direct data capturing machines by unknown  persons in three local government areas of the  State.
The commission said the ugly development had affected the exercise adversely in the state, as scores of those who had taken part in the exercise in the affected councils would need to be called back to be re-registered.
According to the organization, the affected three council areas, included  Oji-River, Enugu South and Ezeagu.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC),  Emeka Ononamadu, disclosed this in Enugu during a town hall meeting with Civil Society groups and the media, adding that despite the development,  the commission remained undaunted in its determination to deliver credible polls in 2019.
He said: “It’s important for us to say it time and time again that our major problem is external not internal. It is not within INEC, it is outside INEC.
“And I will explain to you, within the last six months of my tenure, we have experienced burglary in Oji River LGA, we have experienced burglary in Enugu South LGA, and we have experienced burglary in Ezeagu LGA, and few other places.
“What was the target? Those direct data capture machines. Enugu would have been better than sixth position now, but because of the machines, our PDF machines, and our back up that they took from Ezeagu where we have more centres now.
“Unfortunately the backup we believed that had part of the registration data didn’t save anything, and we are talking about thousands of registrants.
“We are in the process of getting back those forms they filled to see if we’ll begin to call them again, whether they will agree to come all over again. But it is not a ghost that broke into the ceiling, scaled into the offices and ransacked everywhere and took those machines away. These were human beings who want to sabotage the entire process,” he noted.
He however,  urged residents of the state to utilise the ongoing display of lists of registered voters in the first quarter of 2018 CVR for claims and objections, noting that the claims and objections would help to strengthen accuracy of the registers.
The Enugu REC, equally  challenged the civil society groups to engage in sensitisation of the public on the CVR and display of the registers, saying “We should not sit at homes and expect miracle to happen. Even the groups asking for secession, they will still need the voters register for conduct of referendum, if their agitations are considered.”
Responding on behalf of the CSOs in the state, its, Leader, Mr,  Onyebuchi Igboke, expressed  the readiness of the groups  to partner with the commission in order to deliver credible elections in 2019.

Canice Amadi, Enugu