No voting with temporary voter card–INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ), says no
voter will be allowed to vote with the temporary voter card, in the
forthcoming general elections.

Prof. Francis Ezeonu, Imo Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC),
made this known at an interactive meeting with religious bodies-
members of the Christian and Muslim communities in Imo, on Tuesday
in Owerri.

He noted that the smart card reader which would be deployed for
the elections was structured to read only the Permanent Voter Cards
(PVCs) which has special features embedded on it with the voters’
personal information.

Ezeonu, therefore, enjoined all who are yet to get their PVCs to
go to their different wards from Jan. 16 to get their cards in
order not to be disfranchised.

“The smart card reader is expected to read the permanent voters
card and once it could not read any card, the person will not be
allowed to vote,” he said.

Ezeonu said the interactive meeting with the religious bodies
was part of INEC’s move to reach out to all segments of the society
to brief them on the progress so far and get suggestions from them
for a free, fair and credible elections.

He explained that 2.27 million voters were registered in Imo
with over 630,000 PCVs yet to be collected.

He urged the stakeholders to sensitise their members as INEC
staff would visit the 305 electoral wards between Jan.16 and Jan.
21 to distribute the PVCs, adding that Feb. 8 is the last day for
the distribution of the PVCs.

On smart card reader malfunctioning, he explained that the
Registration Area Technicians had been trained to regularly monitor
the card readers and put them back to work as soon as possible.

He said a form known as Form 60 E where each result of the
election would be written would be pasted on the wall of buildings
or trees for all to have access to, adding that all ballot papers
not used would be cancelled immediately after election.

Speaking, the representatives of the religious bodies advised
INEC to ensure there was no problem between the collation of the
results and transmission.

They equally suggested full accreditation of voters before
voting as against the simultaneous accreditation and voting
stipulated by the electoral umpire.

The Chairman, Muslim Council of Nigeria, Imo Chapter, Mr Yusuf
Nwoha urged INEC to ensure it matched its plans with action-
effective implementation- as well as spend money on sensitisation
and encouragement of the electorate on PVC collection.

“Imo at the moment is tensed up. The probability of miscreants
fomenting trouble and disrupting the election progress should be
checked. No election is worth the blood of any human being. INEC
preparation is good, the problem is execution,” he said.

Nwoha also advised INEC to check fake observers, malfunction of
card readers as well as step up its operational strategy.

Rev.Fr Innocent Osuagwu, who represented the Bishop of Owerri
Archdioceses, Archbishop Anthony Obinna, enjoined the commission to
ensure its staff exhibited some measure of uprightness during the
election.

NAN reports that the meeting had in attendance various heads of
the different religious bodies in Imo.