• Our system crashed –REC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Friday, failed to distribute Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at Ward G3, State Junior Secondary School, Surulere, the polling unit, where the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, and his wife, Abimbola, registered in 2010.
Saturday Independent gathered that some INEC ad-hoc staff had hurriedly pasted a notice on Thursday night to notify voters who had registered in the two wards located on Itolo Street, that they had no voter cards.
The commission said the voters would have to register afresh at a later date.
The notice pasted at the entrance of the school read: “We regret to inform you that those who registered in this polling unit do not have permanent voter cards. Please come back between 3 and 8 December 2014, for fresh registration.”
Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola, attributed the development to loss of date arising from the crash of their computing system.
“Yes, some of the data captured during the registration in 2010 crashed. This was the reason we lost about 1.4 million data for voters. We are embarking on fresh registration for them and others, who were unable to register in the 2010 registration,” Ogunmola told Saturday Independent on phone.
Fashola, who had doubts over INEC’s preparedness for the 2015 elections, arrived his polling unit at about 2:05p.m to see the notice pasted on the gate.
Speaking to newsmen, the governor described the situation as a collusion or inefficiency on the path of INEC ahead of the polls.
He said INEC, with the development, has decided to thread the path of destruction.
According to the governor, “It’s a shameful path, this is my polling unit; this is where I voted, year after year. This is where I was registered. When INEC said they were ready to do distribution of voter cards, they said it was 7 to 9 November, later they said they were not going to do all and that the balance will happen between 28 and 30.
“So, Surulere was in the balance that was supposed to happen. So we are here today being 28 and this is the notice they surreptitiously came to put here at night. We can’t collect our PVCs.”
The governor, however, urged those who face similar fate to keep their temporary voter cards, as it was proof that they were captured in the INEC database.
“We would wait for INEC because they registered 6.4 million of us in 2010, so whatever has happened, at least, we have those cards, they can’t run away from us. Whether they like it or not, we would have elections and we would vote in spite of what Jega and his team may be planning,” he said.
Asked whether he would participate in the fresh registration, the governor wondered what the essence of the first registration was since the commission could not produce their PVCs, saying; “This is an attempt to decimate our voting population in Lagos, it is clear now, so everyone who has the temporary voter card must hold it. Those who don’t have who only turned 18, we would provide a means for them to participate in this election.”
He said he would observe how the commission would manage the situation before his next line of action.
Some residents who had gathered at the ward to collect their PVCs were disappointed, as some wondered if INEC, with the continuous hiccups, is ready for the polls.
In some other polling units in Oshodi/Isolo and Amuwo Odofin local government areas, there was an improvement from the first phase as INEC staff arrived early to paste the register as well as issue PVCs to residents.
Source: Daily Independent
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