Anger in Lagos, Ogun over hitches in distribution of voter cards

Prosper

By Olasunkanmi Akoni, Dapo Akinrefon, Monsur Olowoopejo and Olawale Gabriel
Against high expectations that trailed the massive public enlightenment for residents of Lagos and Ogun States to collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, the collection turned into a near flop in the two states at the commencement of the three day exercise.

A frustrated Governor Babatunde Fashola was forced to go on public television yesterday to comfort Lagos citizens who he said were extremely disappointed by what he described as a mess.
The exercise which was scheduled to take place in 11 of the 20 recognised local government areas of the state either did not take place at all or took off hours behind schedule after many expectant registrants had departed. The Lagos State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in a face saving measure was forced to extend the collection exercise scheduled to end tomorrow to Monday.

The same tale of disappointment also shadowed the exercise in Ogun State, the other state where the distribution of the PVCs commenced in the country yesterday. Though the situation in Ogun looked relatively better than that in Lagos, there were also loud complaints from voters especially in communities neighbouring Lagos including Arepo where voters claimed that they waited endlessly for the officials of the commission. In many polling units where the officials were present they, however, lacked logistical materials to carry out the exercise.

The PVCs being distributed are to replace the temporary voter cards given to voters at the point of registration in 2011.

The distribution of the PVCs in Lagos State was scheduled in Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikeja, Mushin, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Ibeju-Lekki, Ikorodu, Kosofe; and Ojo Local Government.

Thousands of residents who trooped to their various polling units very early in the morning waited for INEC officials for over six hours without any trace of officials to distribute the PVCs. Many went back to their respective homes in disappointment.

The exercise, which was supposed to start by 8.00 a.m. did not start till about 3.30pm as polling units visited witnessed several frustrated residents waiting for INEC officials who were nowhere to be found.

Among the polling units visited in the Ikeja area were Awolowo Way, Sunday Adigun Street where former Governor Bola Tinubu is registered, Polling Unit 008, Alausa among others. Everywhere, voters were seen in clusters either waiting for the INEC officials or for the materials or in some cases for both.

Mr. Adewale Fasade, who was sighted at a Polling Unit in Ward C, Ikeja said he first went to his polling unit at Oregun and after waiting for hours without any sign of the INEC officials relocated to Ward C, Alausa on being told that some INEC officials were there.

An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Wale Ogundimu, who was at Ward ‘C’ said he mobilised several members to come out as early as 8:30am to collect their PVCs, but lamented that they had been waiting for INEC for the past six hours lamenting that the officials were nowhere to be seen by mid afternoon.

The same story prevailed in most areas of Ojo Local Government Area and even at the polling unit by the council secretariat on Olojo Drive.

Mr. Afolabi Timothy, a resident, lamented that the officials made him wait endlessly, saying “if they knew they were not ready why would they include our council among those whose PVCs were ready.”

“You can see, I am yet to know my fate. I woke early today and I got here by 7:00 am; waiting for the officials. At the moment they are yet to arrive. In fact, the names are yet to be pasted. I don’t know if my name was among the 4.8 million residents who will collect their PVC.

“I am beginning to doubt the credibility of next year’s election.”

Another resident, Mrs. Tina James said “If I knew they would not come, I would have travelled for my business trip. But now, I don’t know what to do.

“After waiting here for over three hours, I went to the Ojo local government secretariat to see if they were already distributing the materials to the officials, I mean the Youth Corpers but to my surprise, I saw them also waiting for the materials,” she said.

Fashola broadcast statement

Reacting to the development yesterday, Governor Fashola who had proclaimed a public holiday for state workers because of the exercise faulted the excuse of INEC in blaming contractors for the floppiness as inexcusable

Fashola, in a broadcast on the state’s television, LTV urged all registered residents of the eleven Local Governments where INEC commenced distribution of PVCs yesterday, to go and collect their cards to prevent themselves from being disenfranchised.

He said by omission or commission, INEC had decided to make the exercise a painful experience in Lagos by announcing that it would only issue PVCS in 11 Local Governments out of the 20 old initially scheduled by the commission.

Fashola expressed deep disappointment at what he described as the lack of planning which he said spoke volumes of the contempt and disregard of INEC for the rights of citizens, recalling that it was INEC that first announced that the exercise was planned for August, and later shifted it to September, before finally announcing a take off for yesterday.

The governor stated: “I can only imagine the level of disappointment that you must all feel, having waited anxiously for this exercise and in spite of the fact that we had declared a work free day.

“As far as this further messy conduct is concerned, its lame excuse is that nine contractors disappointed it. Who are the contractors? Are they faceless? I think Nigerians deserve to know who they are. The information at my disposal is that all the cards are in Lagos and INEC must explain why it had decided not to distribute all of them”.

“If this is a foretaste of what we should expect in the general elections, for me it is a bad start. It tastes awful but do not be disappointed as not to partake in the all important interest of keeping the country’s democracy.”

He reiterated that INEC has not answered the question he posed about the delisting of over 1,400,000 voters from the register it compiled in 2011 in spite of assurances it gave Nigerians, and billions of naira it expended for the purpose.

INEC’s REC reacts

The Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, in his reaction to the development said the exercise would be extended to compensate for the initial hiccups.

Dr Ogunmola told Saturday Vanguard that “Yes we had some delays to the kick off because some documents we were expecting from Abuja did not arrive early but we have gotten it. Our staff went to their respective locations to work and because of this delay, we have extended the closure of work from 4pm to 5pm every day.”

“We will extend the closing time to 5pm and extend it by another day (till Monday, November 10th.)”

Complaints trail PVC distribution in Ogun

Complaints of absent officials, shortage of logistics materials and missing names marred the exercise in most parts of Ogun State as the collection of the PVCs commenced in the state yesterday.

The state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and his wife, Olufunso, were, however, among the few who had few complaints as they collected their cards easily at Ajura ward 4. The former governor of the state, Aremo Segun Osoba, however, could not find his card at the Ago Oba Central Mosque in Ward 13, Abeokuta South local government, where he was supposed to pick up his card even though he found his name on the roll.

He was, however, directed to the INEC office as he was told that he was among special dignitaries who the commission had made special arrangements for to collect their cards from the office.

In Arepo, a sub-urban community near Lagos, residents waited endlessly for the officials to come. One resident who spoke to Saturday Vanguard over the telephone slammed the commission for the poor conduct of the exercise saying that it was lamentation of woe all around the community.

It was the same story in Odeda and Sagamu where a former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel did not see his name at the polling unit at Isote Makun Sagamu ward where he registered.

Ifo, Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo and many other councils experienced similar hitches.

Reacting to the development, Governor Amosun appealed to INEC for extension of the exercise saying there were too many irregularities based on reports that reached him.

He said “I want to commend INEC for this exercise but they appear not to be ready because there are too many hitches.”

“I want to appeal to INEC to consider extending the days. I also want to appeal to you, my people to take the pain to do whatever INEC tell you to get your voter cards because without it you cannot vote”.

Also reacting to the irregularities, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Sam Olumekun assured that all registered voters would have their cards before the next election.

A member of the state House of Assembly, representing Odeda state constituency, Segun Elemide said that he had monitored all the polling units in his constituency, and said the arrival time of the INEC officials varied between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the constituency.

Even when the officials arrived, there were lamentations of missing names and some even with their names on the register could not be presented with the voter card.

One of those who could not find his name was a member of the House of Assembly, Allen Taylor who represents Abeokuta South local government constituency 2.

See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/anger-lagos-ogun-hitches-distribution-voter-cards/#sthash.4VAhpl8g.dpuf