Politics
Voters Registration: The Gains And Pains
The three week voters registration exercise which ended penultimate on Saturday 5 February 2011 with originally tales of woes, frustration and success. The voters registration exercise was criminally scheduled to end two-week but extended by seven, days to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission solve all the problems associated with the exercise.
Prince Chika Mini, a legal practitioner based in Port Harcourt, said it was not surprise that the 2006 voter registration exercise was not different from the 2011 electronic voter registration. Hence, the INEC officials were unable to effectively operate the direct data capturing (DDC) machines during the early days into the two-week exercise. In his words: “the voter registration exercise, a key element in the electoral process, turned out to be a flop despite the so much talked about electoral reforms and the billions of naira smith into the exercise,” he said further.
“Nigerians hope, optimism were dashed and despair reigns in the minds of eligible voters following the initial hiccups experienced throughout the exercise across the nation.
Under the amended Electoral Law 2010, Part III Section 9(5) INEC has the power to commence the registration of voters, updating and revision of register of voters not later than 60 days before any election. Also under Section 10(3) stated “The Commission shall within sixty days after each year make available to every political party, the names and address of each person registered during that year.” How realistic will INEC implement this extant Law is yet to be seen.
Despite the gains political observers argued that the exercise witnessed anger, frustration and disappointment against the operations of the direct data capturing (DDC) Machines. In some centres in Rivers State and other States, the voters registration exercise took off late. The process was marred by the difficulty in thumb printing on the DDC machines.
Similar incident occurred in some areas, where scanners failed to function effectively thereby causing slow process in the exercise. Also, lack of constant electricity supply hampered the effective operations of the machines and poor power supply were among some of the lapses as witnessed by eligible voters.
However, some of the eligible voters investigation revealed complained about registration officials. For example, in Port Harcourt ward 20 at Azuabie registration centre, an eligible voter, Mr. Wariboko Tari, said the registration officials lack the necessary understanding of the application and knowledge on how to operate the computer.
He further said some of the registration officials called INEC ad-hoc staff cannot even connect the system because they are inexperience.
Investigation further revealed that the training programme conducted for the Ad-hoc staff prior to the commencement of the registration exercise was not fruitful as some of the ad-hoc staff (NYSC) members can not operate the machine. Yet they were paid N800 daily for transportation and N30,000 allowance for the duration of the voters registration exercise.
Most eligible voters interviewed blamed the pain associated with the exercise on the inexperience nature of the ad-hoc staff (NYSC) members deployed to operate (DDC) machines during the initial commencement of the exercise.
Also, Mr. Thompson Okujagu a resident of Okrika Island said, the process that hindered the effective voters registration exercise was the poor publicity management by INEC and the various organs of government. For instance, he observed that a lot of eligible voters were left in the dark about where the registration centres are located specially, the surrounding fishing settlements.
Mrs. Blessing Chukwu of Anoze Street, Mille 2 Diobu collaborated this fact and said, it took her and her family three days to discover where the registration centre was in Diobu for her to register.
She added nobody informed them of the whereabout of the registration centres till their neighbours discovered it and informed them. She said “we only register when the state government declared a work free day”.
Towards a hitch free voters registration, INEC had in November 2010 awarded the contract for the supply of 132,000 Direct Data Capturing Machine to three companies out of the four companies that bidded.
The successful companies were Haier Electrical Appliances Corporation Limited awarded 30,000 units at 1699,60 dollar, per unit. Zinox Technologies Limited awarded 80,000 units at 1771,73 dollar, per unit Avante International Technology Incorporation limited awarded 22,000 Units at 1699,60 dollar, per unit.
An official of the INEC Port Harcourt Ms. Chizoreze Nwagbara said the DDC machines were purchased from China where they were assembled.
China was considered because of it low cost of production. Nigerians complaint bordered on alleged low quality of the machines from China and logistic problems. The low quality of the machines was alleged to be responsible for the malfunctioning of the machines.
According to Chief Engineer of an I.T firm in Port Harcourt, Engr. Goddy Onwuigbo told The Tide that INEC failed to open and check or test the effectiveness of the DDC machines before distributing it out to their state offices. He said the DDC machines were substandard and of poor quality in the I.T. international market.
He further said Nigerians witnessed the shoddy voters’ registration exercise due to the faulty equipment, substandard DDC Machines, incompetent vendors and adoption of software produced by a less qualified consultant. Some of the problems also were attributable to a situation where some states were equally supplied insufficient DDC machines for the voters registration exercise.
The problem, according to most eligible voters, seem insurmountable that Nigerians had to call for seven-day extension of the exercise to address the problems.
However, when the INEC’s Chairman, Prof. Jega appeared before the Senate to explain some of the hitches that trailed the registration exercise, he said the initial crisis which made it difficult for most eligible voters to register was caused by the DDC machines which were mistakenly formatted forensic exercise that were of higher grade than mere capturing of the information necessary for elections.
He demanded for extra budgetary provision of 6.6 billion naira approval to cope with the extension of the exercise by one week from 29th January -5 February.
By the extension, eligible voters who were disappointed by the malfunctioning of (DDC) machines took advantage of the seven-day extension to register. Yet there are more pressures and calls on INEC for further extension of the registration exercise to enable eligible voters exercise their franchise.
Investigations revealed that in some riverine communities of Rivers State, much had not be done to achieve the much expected gains. For instance, some eligible voters clustered around the riverine communities of Andoni, Okirika, Kalabari, Bonny may have been disenfranchised due to logistic problem.
The totality of the people’s verdict is that INEC should put its house in order before the main elections, as Nigerians are not prepared for flimsy excuse from Prof. Jega and his team, especially in their inability to enhance the success of the democratic governance.
The teeming problems identified specially the central server and capacity to tackle multiple registrations must be addressed by INEC now before the general elections.
Philip-Wuwu Okparaji
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun deploying non-sensitive materials to the zones as it prepares for the 2027 general election.
Acting Chairman of the commission, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday at a bench-marking meeting with a delegation of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“Right now, all non-sensitive materials are almost ready. In fact, today as we speak here, the non-sensitive materials have been lifted to some zones now,” Gumus said.
She said the commission had completed nine of its scheduled activities and was preparing for the next phase.
“We are preparing for the election next year and we have activities lined up. So far, we have been able to complete nine activities and we are still preparing for the next level of activities,” she said.
Gumus said the commission’s leadership had just concluded a tour of the country’s six zones to assess their level of preparedness.
“The purpose was to go round the zones to see how prepared we are, assess what the zones have put in place, their challenges and what to do. We concluded last week and we can see from our tour that we are really going towards the election proper,” she said.
On Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), the acting chairman said production had been completed and distribution to the states was well advanced.
“As of today, we can say that PVCs have been produced and the first, second batches, most of the states have received them. Their PVC collection is ongoing. All those who are supposed to be the voters are supposed to receive their PVCs, and if they don’t have them, it is also another challenge,” Gumus said.
She added that capacity building was under way for staff at the headquarters and in the states, and that the procurement and deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS devices were also ongoing.
On diaspora voting, Gumus said the commission could not proceed for now because the law did not provide for it.
“Here, because we go by the law, in our electoral law, it is not included there, so we cannot go on for the diaspora voting for now until we amend the electoral law,” she said.
The acting chairman said the commission had arranged for its directors to hold an interactive session with the Kenyan team and present papers on the work of their departments.
Leading the delegation, the Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Isaac Parashina, said the IEBC team was in Nigeria to benchmark ahead of Kenya’s general election in August 2027.
He said the team was studying how Nigeria handled its diaspora population and special voting groups, as Kenya sought to widen voting rights for citizens living abroad.
“Currently we have about 12 of them who voted in the last general election, but there is intention to expand to around, I think, 26,” Parashina said, referring to the countries where Kenyans abroad vote.
He said the expansion was a constitutional requirement backed by Kenyan court rulings, and would be enforced progressively.
Parashina said Nigeria’s election, which he noted would come in two rounds, would be closely watched across Africa.
“Everyone is looking at what Nigeria will do because it is the biggest democracy in Africa. The success of Nigeria remains a great success to Kenya and indeed to the continent,” he added.
The High Commissioner thanked INEC for receiving the team despite a tight schedule and wished the commission success.
Governor Douye Diri has set a target of at least one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Bayelsa State in the 2027 presidential election, while charging the newly inaugurated All Progressives Congress (APC) State Campaign Council to prioritise reconciliation, party unity and collective electoral mobilisation.
Governor Diri gave the charge at the inauguration of the 20-member campaign council at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa, where he warned that internal divisions could undermine the party’s efforts to secure victory for President Tinubu and other candidates at the federal and state levels.
Governor Diri urged party members who were not appointed to the council to support its activities by taking the APC’s message to communities, wards and polling units across the state.
He specifically charged the campaign team to mobilise at least one million votes for President Tinubu, arguing that Bayelsa’s voting strength had increased and should be reflected in the 2027 election results.
“I give you a target that in Bayelsa, we must not bring less than one million votes for Mr President. You are going to campaign, and you have a lot to talk about the President. He has done so much for our people,” the governor said.
He listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, interventions in the power sector, federal appointments for Bayelsa indigenes and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy among the achievements the campaign should present to voters.
The governor particularly praised President Tinubu for the coastal highway project, arguing that it reflected federal attention to the development needs of coastal communities.
“No president, alive or dead, has remembered the coastal people and coastal states to say let us do this signature project from Lagos to Calabar. The first president to think about it is Bola Tinubu, and those were the demands of the Ijaw people,” he said.
Governor Diri also expressed hope that a second term for President Tinubu would provide an opportunity to advance demands for fiscal federalism, greater resource control and state policing, which he described as longstanding aspirations of the Niger Delta.
He said the President had shown indications of addressing some of the demands of younger Nigerians and argued that re-election would allow the administration to consolidate its reforms.
The governor further cautioned campaigners against personal attacks and abusive exchanges with political opponents, insisting that the APC should focus its campaign on issues, policies and achievements.
The governor’s mobilisation directive comes amid criticism from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has questioned his commitment to President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, alleging that APC campaign billboards erected across Yenagoa promote other party candidates without featuring the President.
The PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Ikaebimo Mark, said the billboards showed Governor Diri urging voters to support APC candidates for the National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections without identifying President Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate.
Mr Mark described the omission as an indication that the governor was not fully aligned with the APC’s national leadership.
“When we said that the governor, Senator Douye Diri, is not supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we knew exactly what we were saying. Now Governor Douye Diri has erected APC campaign billboards across Bayelsa State without Tinubu’s picture. He is even afraid to associate himself with the photograph of the presidential candidate of his own party. How can this governor claim to be supporting President Tinubu?” he said.
The PDP, however, maintained that the governor’s public campaign posture raised questions about his commitment to the President’s re-election bid. Its allegation over the billboards now places the issue of the relationship between the state APC leadership and the party’s national campaign among the political questions likely to feature in Bayelsa’s preparations for 2027.
The PDP’s allegation has introduced a fresh political dimension to the APC’s preparations in Bayelsa, even as Governor Diri publicly called on party leaders and members to close ranks and mobilise support for all its candidates.
“Every person picked as a member of this campaign council was carefully scrutinised. I want to tell you that our campaign team is loaded. We parade the best candidates among all the parties in Bayelsa State, and there is no doubt about that,” he said.
He urged members to remain focused and united, warning that political opponents could exploit any divisions within the party.
“Our unity is very important because they would want to feast on our disunity. We will not give them that opportunity. Please, as you carry out this assignment, do not take your eyes off the target,” Hon. Ogoriba said.
SP Edafe explained that during the meeting, the organisers were briefed on the identified security threats and advised against embarking on an open-road procession.
Instead, the police reportedly recommended that the political activities be conducted at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
However, the Command alleged that the organisers disregarded the security advice and proceeded with the road procession.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has condemned the political violence that erupted in Asaba, the state capital, on Saturday, confirming that one person was killed while four others sustained serious injuries.
The government described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable, warning political parties and their supporters against actions capable of threatening public peace, security and democratic participation in the state.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, the government reiterated its zero tolerance for political violence, intimidation and other forms of political misconduct.
Mr Aniagwu said the government had repeatedly cautioned political parties against engaging in activities capable of disrupting the peace, insisting that the incident could have been avoided if the organisers had followed security advice.
According to him, the police had advised the organisers to cancel the proposed street march and instead conduct their political campaign at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
He expressed concern that the advice was allegedly disregarded, resulting in a confrontation that claimed one life and left four other people seriously injured.
The government subsequently called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the violence and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
Mr Aniagwu further warned that the state government would not tolerate politically motivated attacks against any individual, regardless of political affiliation.
He maintained that Delta State remained safe for residents and visitors, stressing that the government would not allow the actions of individuals or groups to undermine the prevailing peace and security in the state.
The government also urged political parties, their leaders and supporters to conduct their political activities within the confines of the law and demonstrate respect for human life, public order and the rights of other citizens.
The latest development follows an attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a political procession in Asaba, which reportedly left several participants injured and campaign vehicles vandalised.
The government’s condemnation comes amid growing concerns over political violence and the safety of opposition supporters as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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