Our Reporters
30 January 2007
Abuja — Many eligible voters - possibly tens of millions have not been able to register to vote as the last day of the exercise ends today (Tuesday).
In Abuja, scores of eligible voters became frustrated as the exercise started late in some of the centres.
In Kano, the state government has already extended the public holiday to allow civil servants time to register.
Commenting on the turn of events, INEC's Director of Publicity, Segun Adeogun, told Daily Trust that the situation will improve today.
He said: "there is no need for panic. We believe that the situation will improve tomorrow (Tuesday) and the crowd will hopefully reduce."
INEC has set a target to register 60 million voters. Before the registration exercise, the electorate was estimated at 80 million.
Registration officer, Malam Mohammed Lawal, attributed the situation to Nigerians who wait until the last minute before registering.
He said: "The rush now is as a result of speculations that the government will demand voter's registration card before payment of subsequent salaries."
The federal government had declared yesterday a public holiday so as to enable civil servants who could not register previously to do so.
At Agric Quarters registration centre in Zone 4, Abuja, hundreds of voters turned out as early as dawn but the registration officers did not arrive until after midday.
Musa Barau who said he had left his home as early as 5.00am yesterday, told Daily Trust: "Honestly, I've given up. I can no longer stay on the queue when the officials are yet to arrive."
At the Lusaka street registration centre, Daily Trust observed that more than one hour after the commencement of the exercise, only thirty people were registered when the machine broke down as a result of battery failure.
Asked how they will cope with the situation, Ruth Ladidi, one of the officials at the centre said: "we are going to try our best. But to be frank with you, many people will miss out in the exercise."
One of the prospective voters, Bello Isa, said the exercise was a flop. He said: "It's a disgrace to the nation. The INEC has just showed us that the election has been rigged already." Another prospective voter, Biola Dosunmu, said: "I am disappointed; I don't even want to register. I've not eaten this morning. I came here as early as 7.00am."
At the Sudan street registration centre in Wuse a female official recording the captured cards complained she had no A4 paper to continue and threatened to discontinue the exercise. She was persuaded to stay on by some of the prospective voters who said they will contribute money to buy the paper.
One voter said: "We have tried our best. We are going home. If they like, let them come to our office and say they want to sanction me. They will see hell."
Earlier last year, politicians had predicted that the electronic voter registration was not the best method for the nation, saying that many Nigerians might be disenfranchised.
In Kano, thousands of people, mostly civil servants, queued up to be registered yesterday.
The Kano state government has declared a further day of public holiday to enable the state's civil servants register ahead of the dateline.
"This is necessary in order to ensure that all eligible voters are registered," state Commissioner for Commerce, Alhaji Ahmad Ibrahim Yakasai, said.
A visit across some centers in Fagge, Tarauni, Rijiyar Zaki and some outskirts of Kano featured long queues as thousands of voters rushed to be registered.
INEC's public relations officer in Kano, Garba Lawal Mohammed, said already, over 3.7 million voters have been registered.
In Kaduna, two INEC staff operating the Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machine in one of the registration centres in Sabon Tasha in Chikun local government were almost lynched when they told the about 200 people gathered there that they would have to take the DDC machine for recharging just three hours after the commencement of the registration exercise. They had to continue the registration despite the low battery level of the machine which continuously showed low battery power.
Barnawa, Kaduna south local government was also swarmed by eligible voters seeking to register. They had to resort to giving numbers on a first-come-first-serve basis. People picked numbers and left with the intent to come back later which caused arguments.
Mallam Shehu Abubakar, who sells fresh vegetables just a stone throw from the registration centre said: "whether I vote or not, my vote will not change the decision of some people out there who have already decided to rig the elections. So why should I disturb myself to register and obtain the voters card?," he wondered.
Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti and Ogun states also reported a high turnout and long queues. At Agege, Lagos, INEC official, Ade Ojumo, said the turnout has been fair compared to previous days. "Before, we hardly register up to 100 people a day, but since Saturday, people have been responding. Nigerians like last minute rush," he said.
Thousands of people in Borno state complained that some of the registration equipment could not cope with the increasing number of people.
In Maiduguri INEC officers admitted: "Most of the machines are faulty as such, if the anomaly is not redressed, many Nigerians will be disenfranchised".
Over 800,000 people have so far been registered across the 27 local government areas of the state.
INEC officials in the state said more than 1000 Direct Data Capture machines have been deployed to all the designated registration centres in the state and argued that "no prospective voter who presents himself for registration would be left out of the exercise", said Alhaji Hassan Suleiman, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state in a recent interview.
At the School of Nursing registration centre along Damboa road, Maiduguri, Halima Musa said she had been waiting for over nine hours to be registered.
Ayogu M. Chiemeka, the registration officer at the centre agreed that if the period for registration was not extended many people would be disenfranchised.
At about 4 pm yesterday, he said he was able to register only 192 people while over 500 were waiting anxiously. He said, "look at the people waiting. I don't think I can help them because for now my printer is not working and worse of all is that my laptop battery is down. Someone has volunteered his generator for us but no one is willing to buy fuel."
Chiemeka added that once it is dark, the camera would not capture the image of the person. "I wonder why INEC designed it that way. It is really frustrating because many people are wiling to stay longer and we are equally willing to extend our time", he said.
A youth corp member, Metu Binyelu, alleged that she was asked at one of the registration centres to pay a bribe to be registered. "One of the officers said I should follow him to his house if I want to be registered. I wonder where we are heading to in this country because people are desperately looking for the opportunity to rob others", she said.
Engineer Abdulhameed Abubakar who could also not be registered, attributed the last hour rush to "sanctions threatened by many state governors on those who do not obtain voters card". He said there is need for the government to extend the deadline "so that people would not be victimized at the end of the day".
When Daily Trust visited the INEC office in Maiduguri, none of the senior officials was available to comment on the registration so far. But one officer who spoke in confidence said the resident electoral commissioner had gone to some local government areas "to address some lingering problems".
In Bauchi, there was also a last minute rush for the revalidation of the voters' register.
"The whole exercise is slow. I don't know for how long I will stay on the queue before being registered," said a civil servant, Sarah Usman, at one of the registration centres in Yelwa ward, Bauchi metropolis yesterday.
She said she had been waiting for three hours. She said she was worried the government might deny her some privileges in the office if she didn't register. The Bauchi state government has not made it compulsory for its civil servants to obtain the voters card.
But Alhaji S.D Garba, the INEC spokesman in Bauchi state, said that all those on queue will be registered. "If you are on the line, it is our duty to register you even if it would take us to some odd hours," he said.
"Nobody is going to be disfranchised except if you refuse to come to the registration centres," he added.
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