Intending voters were frustrated from doing their registration for their PVC for the 2023 general elections and the subsequent ones, as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC officials deployed to the Government Secondary School, Nyanya for the exercise today spent the whole day with the registration of just 10 voters with only one rickety device.
Page3news.com.net reports that, for the matured way the voters handled the situation, there would have been violent breakout, as they urged the INEC officials to increase the number of their registration devices to about six to ensure registering huge number of voters in the Abuja Municipal Council, AMAC before the end of the weeklong exercise.
“Some of us that privately engaged cannot afford to after wasting a whole day to embark on another fruitless exercise tomorrow. These INEC officials are kill joy and do not want progress of the struggling individuals”, some of the voters that abandoned their businesses to get registered said.
The voters, who arrived the venue as early as 7am; coordinated themselves by writing down their names on a sheet of paper to guide the INEC officials when they arrive, and they did not show up until 11 am. And when they came, they were with dilapidated device that could not print out the registrations done. Several hours were spent to get it functioning.
One of the INEC officials complained of several issues that hindered the slow pace of the registration, including unsuitable cables provided that resulted in poor connectivity, vital items forgotten in office that took over 2hours without getting it sent across, printing out of the registrations done and epileptic network among others.
The INEC officials have however turned down the continuation from the list where they stopped today (after spending the whole day registering 10 voters) and insisted that a fresh list would be drawn when they come tomorrow; a development that sparked off a rowdy situation.
A female INEC official said that was the directive given from office to always start from a fresh list each day they come for registration.
Some of the angry voters that could not get their registration done since morning they arrived the centre said the INEC officials were deliberate in slowing down the registration so as to collect huge allowances for the futile exercise.
“From the calculation, may be about three days was approved for the registration, but these INEC officials are deliberately slowing down the pace so as to spend four/five days in order to collect more money as allowance.
“How can INEC officials be deployed on such an assignment with just one malfunctioning device. It’s as wicked as they are heartless. Let’s wait and see how many registration devices they would come with Tuesday for the exercise before we know what next steps of action to be taken”, some of the intending voters said.