Gov. Wada, Wife Raise Alarm Over Faulty Card Readers

Wada

INEC Cancels Voting In One Polling Unit
THE candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Kogi State Gubernatorial election, Governor Idris Wada, has raised alarm over some clandestine moves to frustrate the election with faulty card readers.

Meanwhile, citing reported case of ballot box snatching, Kogi Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Halilu Pai, has announced the cancellation of a polling unit in Itaja Ward in the university town of Ayingba in Dekina Local Council.

According to INEC, voting was going on when some hoodlums seized the ballot box and disrupted the process. Pai assured that security agents have put the situation under control and that the disrupted process would not count.  The Governor, who spoke after his accreditation at Odu ward 1 unit 001 for which the card reader failed him and his wife, said he was surprised for card readers to be failing in an election that has witnessed high level of preparation.
“For a simple isolated election in one state in the entire country, we still have card reader incidence after INEC gave assurances that they have perfected their acts even with back up card readers. Look at the massive turn out of people they are going to be completely disenfranchised.”

The Governor, who was visibly perturbed, said at his unit, there were very few incidence forms and no photocopy machine.
“I wonder how people are going to vote. This seems to me as a deliberate effort to frustrate the entire process,” he said.
“There were incidences of people snatching of ballot boxes at Iyanyo Ward in Ibaji Local Government. I have received reports of thumb printing and ballot box snatching in Anyigba; it’s completely unwarranted in this type of election.”

He said after all the campaigns, people should be allowed to exercise their free choice even as he expressed the optimism that if the election were free and fair he would win.

Wife of the Governor Hajia Wada said, if the card reader fails to capture her and she had to fill form, it means the local people will not have any chance to vote.
“They should do whatever they need to do to let our people vote. This is our voting unit and here we have massive support. We have reports that this is what is happening all over the wards; observers have reported that this is the situation all over. We cannot allow this to happen.