Sunday, August 24, 2014

Ondo seeks voters registration extension


Voters going through the voters list at Ward 5 unit 1 Ijebu, Owo. Photo: Dare Fasube 
The Ondo State government has called on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Atahiru Jega , to extend the deadline for the on-going Continuous Voters’ Registration Exercise in the state by three  days, to accommodate eligible voters in the state but have been unable to do so as a result of the inadequacies recorded in the course of the exercise.

The government made the call through its Committee on INEC Voters Registration, Mr Clement Faboyede.
The government  appealed to the INEC  Chairman to ensure the deadline of the registration exercise is shifted so that a good number of residents in the state would be able to register and obtain their voter’s card and perform their civic duties during the 2015 general elections.

Faboyede, who   addressed  journalists alongside the state’s Commissioner for Information,
Mr Kayode Akinmade, noted that 98% of the capturing machines being used in the 2003 wards across the state were either faulty, slow or archaic and    expressed  the fear that the level of performance of the exercise, if not corrected, would disenfranchise numerous youths of eligible voting age,   adding that INEC must create additional voting units and provide more machines for the exercise.

He also   frowned at the lack of enough preparedness and training of adhoc staff for the exercise, observed that “ there is no way all the eligible voters can register as the effort   put in place was not good enough for the stipulated time”.

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