INEC Card Readers Failed To Work During Pre Election Tests In Enugu

Journalists were on Wednesday kept for over thirty minutes as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) struggled to showcase the good working condition of its card readers, which have been deployed for the elections.

The commission had invited journalists to showcase its preparedness for the election.

However, the exercise failed as the card reading machine could not work for over 30 minutes, a situation that left the audience embarrassed.

DAILY POST reports that the PVC of one of the journalists was inserted, after which that of a member of the Civil Society Organization was equally tried, but both failed the test.

Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Enugu State, Professor Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, had disclosed that the commission had so far distributed 77 percent of the Permanent
Voters’ Cards, (PVC) in the State.

Onukaogu said his target was to distribute at-least 80 percent of the cards before the election.

Professor Onukaogu, however, stated that the commission might not achieve hundred percent distribution of the cards in Enugu because according to him, Enugu was peculiar because of the number of students in the different higher institutions, who registered and left the state without their PVCs

He used the occasion to plead with political parties to mend fences with their members, who were aggrieved after their primary elections in-order to avert politically motivated violence during the elections.

Onukaogu warned that many politicians were bitter and disillusionedbecause of how their respective parties sidelined them in their primaries and gave running tickets to their favorites.

The disarray and disillusionment, he stated, was as a result of lack of internal democracies within the political parties, stating that the prevalent indiscipline were some of the factors that could breed Violence in elections.

“Many politicians today are bitter and disillusioned because of how their respective parties sidelined them in their primaries and gave running tickets to their favorites. this disarry and disillusionment is as a result of lack of internal democracies within the political parties and the prevalent indiscipline are some of the factors that breed violence in elections.

“I want to appeal to leaders of political parties in the country to reach out to their aggrieved members, offer the 0live branch to them and strive to heal the wounds which their undemocratic attitudes have caused”, he advised.

He further averred that if Nigeria was to achieve violent free elections in 2015, politicians should make u-turn and concentrate on issues based campaigns, adding that they should educate their followers on the need to eschew any form of violence during, before
and after the elections.

He assured that he would provide a level playing ground for all the parties in the state, saying the era of rigging was over.