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Prof Jega INEC Chairman was
summoned to appear before the Senate Wednesday over the 2015 Polls shift
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The
use of card readers is one of the innovations introduced by INEC to improve
the election process, Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) has disclosed. Speaking
before the Senate on Wednesday, Jega emphasized that card readers would be
used in the elections because they give integrity to the electoral process.
“The card readers are not used for voting.
They are used to improve the integrity of the election process, and it is for
accreditation. Using
the card readers has enormous advantages. It can only read INEC cards, it
authenticates the identity of registered voters, and the information is sent to
the central server for analysis.”
Jega
said in the event that a card reader, which is configured to a particular
polling unit, fails, it would be replaced or the election in the particular
polling unit would be postponed to the next day.
Responding
to a question from Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, a senator who represents Abia south, on
the delay of the card readers in authenticating registered voters, the INEC
chairman stated that it only took 30 seconds for the card readers to read the
cards of registered voters.
He
emphasized that the electoral commission was taking all these measures to curb
electoral malpractices and insisted that PVCs must be used in the general
election.
He
added that the beauty of the extension of the election dates was the time it
had given the commission to prepare adequately for the elections.
Regarding
whether the use of card readers in the elections would not be challenged in
court, owing to the reason that the Electoral Act negates electronic voting,
Jega said: “INEC is on solid legal grounds on the issue of card readers. We
did not ask for an amendment to the Electoral Act because we did not think it
was necessary.”
Jega
disclosed that although not all PVCs were available, 75.94 percent of
them had been distributed to owners across the country.
“As
I speak to you, 800, 000 to 1 million cards are yet to be produced. The
collection rate has averaged 75.94 percent,” he said.
However,
Jega assured Nigerians that before March 28, the PVCs would be ready and made
available to their owners. He also disclosed that the PVCs were meant to last
for 10 years and would most likely be used in the 2019 elections.
Senator George
Akume, senate minority leader, insisted that the service chiefs must be
summoned since Jega could not answer some of the questions, especially those
bordering on security.
Speaking
after Jega’s presentation, Senator David Mark, the senate president, assured the INEC
chairman of the senate’s readiness to help the commission conduct a free,
fair and credible election.
The senate subsequently
adjourned to February 24.
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