384,000 voters’ cards unclaimed
The Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Francis Ezeonu, has raised the alarm over the alleged cloning of voters’ cards in preparation for the 2019 general elections in the state.
He said this might pose a serious problem during the 2019 general polls, if not checked.
Ezeonu, who disclosed this in Owerri, said that some people had been going about dubiously collecting voters cards from unsuspecting voters and promising to use their Bank Verification Number to organise empowerment programmes for them.
“INEC is aware that people are trying to clone the voters’ cards. Vote buying has remained a big electoral problem in Nigeria, but it is a crime for anybody to induce voters,” he stated.
He said though it might be difficult to clone the card without biometric software, people should not give out their voters’ cards to desperate politicians.
The REC also disclosed that despite public enlightenment, about 384,000 people had yet to collect their voters’ cards in Imo State.
According to him, there has been serious apathy in the state in the ongoing revalidation of voter’s registration.
“I have been talking to traditional rulers and traders in the efforts to sensitise the people. We are doing our bit, given the resources available to us,” he said.
Speaking to our correspondent, the Director of Programmes, Development Dynamics, Dr. Jude Ohanele, called for “staggered elections” in the country to enable INEC to pool their personnel effectively.
He said the experience of the past had shown that INEC lacked the capacity to handle huge elections.
“We do not have the capacity to handle huge elections, but the success of Anambra and Edo elections shows that there is every need to stagger elections in the country,” he said.
Reacting on the recent Anambra governorship election, Ohanele pointed out that, though the election was successful, secrecy of voting was compromised.
“We noticed lack of posters showing polling units, registration centres to enable voters to find where they could vote. No standard set cubicle, where people were supposed to stand. All parties that had money, bought votes etc,” he said.
He urged the state INEC to guide against these shortcomings in the 2019 general elections.
