Posted by By MUYIWA OYINLOLA, Lagos, MOSHOOD ADEBAYO, Abeokuta, FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWN, Abuja, CHRIS IKWUNZE, Port Harcourt on
The much publcised voters revalidation and registration exercise began Wednesday on shabby note in most parts of the country.
The much publcised voters revalidation and registration exercise began Wednesday on shabby note in most parts of the country.
Although some top political office holders, including the Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, among a few others, managed to go through the exercise in Abuja and Lagos respectively, several other Nigerians returned home unattended to.
The vice president, who arrived his Ajiya ward, unit 001, in Jimeta Yola in company of the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Bello Tukur, and former Inspector-General of Police, Gambo Jimeta, posed before the camera 15 times before his clearer image emerged on the registration card.
Tinubu registered with his wife, Oluremi, at Ikeja Local Government Area, but also complained that the exercise was very slow.
'It is a total failure because how can you provide just 55 voters machines to about 8,464 registration centres across the state. This is extremely dangerous and scandalous, it is bad planning, considering the time frame for the exercise," he said.
In several other parts at the state, Lagosians went home in annoyance as they were unattended to, and in most instance, INEC officials were not present. Chairman, Oshodi-Isolo Local Government, Afeez Ipesa-Balogun, and several governorship aspirants of the Action Congress (AC), including Hakeem Gbaja-bramila, and Jimi Agbaje, as well as Dr Adedeji Aganga Williams of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were among the politicians who mobilised their followers for the exercise at their various constituencies.
The situation in Delta and Kogi were not different, as there were no signs of registration in the states.
In Osun State, Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and his wife, Omotola, performed the civic duty in Okuku Odo Otiu Local Government Area, where he charged the people of the state to participate in the exercise, and assured the state's resident Electoral Commissioner of necessary assistance from the state.
The exercise suffered hiccup in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital. Apart from the low preparation on the part of INEC, a drama ensued as the Digital Data Capturing Machine (DDCM) failed to function while INEC officials made attempts to register the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo.
Various polling centres in Abuja were empty yesterday as disenchanted people stayed away from the exercise, claiming ignorance of the commencement of the exercise. Labour and civil society coalition on the banner of Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE), mounted sensitisation campaigns in the city on the essence of the exercise.