RECs to handle testing of card readers – INEC

Prof Attahiru Jega

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday explained that Resident Electoral Commissioners would handle the testing of the Smart Card Readers during Saturday’s mock elections in 12 selected states across the country.

The card readers are to be used for the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

INEC’s national commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, who spoke with journalists at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, said RECs in the affected states would handle the testing of the cards.

Iyimoga said that the commission had satisfactorily tested the SCRs before the elections were re-scheduled.

The general elections had been billed to hold on February 14 and 28, but were shifted to March 28 and April 11 due to the security crisis in North-East.

Iyimoga said the Saturday exercise was meant to further conduct what he described as “more rigorous field testing” of the functionality of the SCRs, which he said would be deployed for accreditation of voters on election days.

He listed the states selected for the exercise as Ekiti and Lagos (South-West); Anambra and Ebonyi (South-East); Delta and Rivers (South-South); Kano and Kebbi (North-West); Bauchi and Taraba (North-East); Niger and Nasarawa (North-Central).

Iyimoga added that in the course of the field testing, Resident Electoral Commissioners of the selected states are expected to select “one registration area with full complement of the PVCs and with appreciable distribution level of such PVCs for undertaking the field test.

“Ensure that the Register of Voters in respect of all polling units in the selected registration area is printed for the conduct of the exercise; and

“Carry out engagements with key stakeholders at the state level, and in particular, stakeholders in the selected registration area where the exercise would be conducted to ensure massive participation by registered voters.”

The INEC boss said that national commissioners were to supervise the conduct of the exercise in their zones and that RECs that were are not selected for the exercise would also monitor the conduct of the exercise in their respective zones.

He said that the SCRs had been distributed to the states and that they would be enough for all the polling units and voting points, adding that extra cards were available.

On the issue of ballot papers for the elections, he said that as at Tuesday, February 12, the commission had received ballot papers meant for all the elections and had taken them to the states.

The ballot papers, he said, were being kept at the Central Bank of Nigeria vaults across the states and the Federal Capital Territory, awaiting further distribution on the eve of each of the elections.

He said RECs had also received and distributed all ballot boxes meant for the elections.

Meanwhile, INEC said on Thursday that it had succeeded in distributing 80.24 per cent of the Permanent Voters Cards to their owners.

This figure indicated that 55,232,874 out of the 68,833,476 registered voters had picked their PVCs.

According to the timetable released by the commission, the collection of PVCs is expected to close on March 8. Our correspondent however learnt on Thursday that INEC might extend the closing date.