…Hail extension of registration exercise
By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The extension of the voter registration exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received commendation from those who have not yet registered.
Some of them who spoke to TPCN on Friday in Port Harcourt over the development thanked INEC for heeding the people’s call to extend the exercise.
They said the extension would give them the opportunity to register and collect their PVCs.
“INEC has tried. That is what we have been expecting from them since when they said they will end the registration by June ending. We were crying for more time so that we can collect our PVCs and vote next year,” one of them, a lady, said.
She appealed to the INEC staff at the registration centres to ensure orderliness and shun favouritism during the exercise.
“Now that they have extended it, those INEC people that are registering people should make it turn by turn. Make them no dey look face again because that’s what they’re doing. If not, I for don collect my own pvc since I have been going for my own. But you will go there and join queue, waiting for your turn and one big man will just come and go straight to the table and they will register him,” she lamented.
Another lady, Omah, who said she is a teacher, also complained of the same favouritism.
She explained: “It is a good thing that INEC extended the date for registration so that everybody will collect his PVC. It’s not good for some people to collect and others won’t. Those INEC staff doing the registration should attend to everybody equally, turn by turn.
If the process is orderly, it will move fast and for the process to be orderly, they should not favour some people or collect bribe from anyone because no vote is more important than the other. Every one’s vote is useful, that’s why they should make sure that everybody registers.”
Also hailing INEC for shifting the deadline for the voter registration exercise, Mr Ekani Hilary, a contractor, advised commission to make more data capturing machines are available at the registration centres to fast-track the exercise, adding that the use of one machine in each centre is causing delay.
“When you go to the centres, you will see only one machine and plenty people waiting for their turn. And it cannot do more than one person at the same time. “Sometimes people go and it will not reach their turn because it’s only one machine.
“When I did my own, the machine even spoilt at a point and because it was only one machine, we had to go for that day. The next day when we went back, it was still one machine that they brought. That’s why many people don’t get regisered in time.
“Now that they have extended it, let INEC bring more machines so that everyone will be registered before the two months will end. After all, federal government gave them enough money to buy these things.
“They should also be fair in the way they attend to people. They should stop attending to those big men who come there to intimate people and jump the line. That nonsense has to stop. Everybody is equal when it comes to voting because it’s one man one vote,” Hilary said.
