Caving in to pressure again on the effectiveness of card readers, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will this week begin their field testing in polling units in 12 states.
The exercise kicks off on Saturday, March 7, five days after INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, would have met with the resident electoral commissioners (RECs) of the 12 states on March 2.
The states are Ekiti, Lagos, Anambra, Ebonyi, Delta, Rivers, Kano, Kebbi, Bauchi, Taraba, Niger, and Nasarawa.
However, Some Lagos residents have accused the INEC of aiding the All Progressives Congress (APC) to distribute Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to its members and sympathisers.
Controversy has been trailing the distribution of the PVCs in Lagos.
Last month, the Igbo community in the state staged a protest at the INEC head office in Yaba, Lagos alleging that its staff were denying persons with Igbo names their PVCs.
The INEC denied the allegation, saying the distribution has nothing to do with ethnic affiliation.
Now, some Lagosians allege that some persons claiming to be APC agents call them up on the telephone to give them information on where to collect their PVCs. “When I got to the place I was directed, I saw my card there,” one resident said.
“There is no phone number on the PVCs. How then did they find me? They must have gotten the information from the INEC database.”
But Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, said the INEC is in possession of the PVCs it printed and they are not with any political party.
“Your data with the INEC is totally secret. You can be rest assured that your data with INEC cannot be accessed by anybody,” he explained.
Asked how APC agents could have got the telephone numbers of their targets, he said: “Where did you get my own number? You got my number somewhere. And I am sure you did not get it from the INEC data base.
“So, if it is true, the numbers could be got from anywhere. That is, if it is true.
“The commission is 150 per cent sure that all the cards that are intended for Lagosians and that have not been collected by Lagosians and that are printed by the INEC are with the INEC and not with any individual, organisation or political party.
“All the cards the INEC printed and that have not been collected by those who are supposed to collect them are with the INEC.”
However, Lagos State APC Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, defended the involvement of the party in the distribution of PVCs.
“What is wrong in helping Lagosians get their PVCs? Is the collection of PVCs the same thing as voting for the candidate of your choice?
“The wish of the Lagos State government is that every eligible voter should get his or her PVC,” Igbokwe argued in a text message.
Back to the smart card readers. TheNiche source disclosed that the field testing will take place in all polling units of one Registration Area (RA), which correspondents to political wards in councils in the 12 states.
The planned exercise on March 7 has strengthened the position of those who insist that the INEC was not ready for the election originally scheduled for February 14 and 28.
“Nigerians may not realise the import of the fact that the INEC was prepared to deploy the smart card readers on February 14, had the election not been postponed without testing them.
“Yes, the same INEC is only testing the cards now, almost three weeks after it must have been deployed for such pivotal elections,” argued a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, who pleaded anonymity.
“Furthermore, no ‘Notice of Poll’ was issued two weeks before the election day as stipulated by the Electoral Act. The guidelines for the polls were only released on Monday, February 23, nine days after the presidential and National Assembly polls must have held.”
Notice of Poll is an official notice that an election will be conducted at specified places and times.
Our source said the inability of the INEC to issue the notice may have been deliberate.
“Jega is actually playing some games. With the INEC playing games with the polling units, it deliberately failed to give the notice.
“What many Nigerians do not know is that 17,900 polling units were relocated on January 27 by the INEC but that information has not been communicated to voters and political parties.
“All these are deliberate but unnecessary landmines. I hope they do not explode on our hands.”
However, Jega has said time and again that the INEC is ready for the polls. He blamed a security advisory from the military for the postponement.