As the deadline for the stoppage of registration of voters by the Independent National Electoral Commission draws close, unregistered potential voters have expressed frustration and disappointment on the inability of INEC to capture them on its database.
Some eligible voters who spoke to theportcitynews.com correspondent, Tina Amanda, at the Independent National Electoral Commission south-south zonal office Portharcourt, condemned the unnecessary delay by INEC to conclude the PVC registration of thousands of people waiting to be registered in the state.
According to them, INEC Rivers state should employ ad-hoc staff that will assist in facilitating the voter’s registration, stressing that there is a need for an upgrade of INEC technical infrastructure.
On her part, an activist in the state, Ankio Briggs, urged INEC to reconsider the proposal of closing the registration, stressing that the PVC is the only way that the people can exercise their franchise.
“I have my concern about the fact that INEC is going to stop registration over a period of time. Is this nationwide, is it going to be restricted to some state or southern region like south-east, south-south and south-west? This is what we need to find out.
“Voters registration is a continuous process. Every day, people are turning 18 years. Even the day they will shut down, people will turn 18 years, so what will happen to those people? Will they be disenfranchised?”
The activist appealed to the state government to pay attention to the various challenges delaying the registration process in all INEC Zonal Offices in the state.
“INEC also have issues. Their equipment is not the newest type, like the fingers capturing machine have to be operated two or three times. This is time-consuming. The state government should see how to help and encourage INEC to capture as many people as they can, especially the state zonal offices”
She further advised Rivers people to ensure that they register and collect their PVC.
