'INEC May Impose Restrictions 48 Hours Before Bayelsa Re-run'

'INEC May Impose Restrictions 48 Hours Before Bayelsa Re-run'

19 Dec 2015

INEC
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed  fears that it might be forced to take preemptive measures to protect the South Ijaw area where the Bayelsa governorship election re-run had been scheduled for January 9.
As part of the efforts to create a conducive environment for the peaceful conduct of the election in the troubled areas in Bayelsa State, the commission said it had already started series of consultations with stakeholders.
Speaking during an interactive session with the Media and Civil Society Organisations at the INEC office in Abuja, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu insisted that irrespective of the shortcomings of the card reader, the electronic device remained the best option for guaranteeing free and fair election.
Yakubu said the commission had mapped out series of meetings one of which was held on Wednesday with members of the inter- agency committee on election security.
"One of the things we are going to do is to demand that security agencies are deployed a day or two before the election date in order to help us secure the environment.  On our part, we believe that the lead agency in election security is the police but when it feels that the situation is beyond its capacity, it can ask for support from the military," he said.
On insecurity and alleged snatching of voting materials and movement of weapons by militants during the Bayelsa election, Yakubu said INEC would be exploring the possibility of collaborating with the Nigerian Navy with a view to assisting in moving election materials to the Creeks.
Describing the dire security situation during the  Bayelsa governorship, Yakubu said it got to a point when INEC staff were sandwiched in between security gun boats on the sea as they conveyed election materials to polling areas.
"The major challenge we had with the Bayesla was not logistics, it wasn't deployment of materials but it was essentially the security component and as you all know this is beyond our control. The issue of malfunctioning of card reader was raised during the interactive session with the media stakeholders urging the INEC to do more to reduce this anomaly.
On the reoccurring incidence of card reader malfunctioning during elections, the INEC boss said the introduction of the technological innovations in electoral conduct would continue notwithstanding perceived shortcomings which in most cases  were minute.
According to Yakubu, INEC would not be swayed into abandoning the use of the card reader just because some persons who desire the retention of the old order to continue for selfish reasons.
"We need to reinforce the use of the card reader and to study the cause of the glitches at least for use to know the reason for the glitches. For instance, he said out of the 3018 polling units, 68 had problems with card reader. This aggregates to about two per cent . Most often the complaint against the problems associated with use of card reader are coming from people who are not comfortable over its ability to prevent rigging.
"Just as Nigerian electorates are applauding the use of card readers, there are others who may not like its introduction and therefore they will continue to talk about the glitches and other negative sides so that we will go back to the old days.

 "The use of card reader has come to stay and we can wish to improve our biometrics on a continual basis. But I make bold to say that no one will be disenfranchised on account of problem with the card reader. That is why we have the incidence form," he said.