From Ben Dunno, Warri
Scores of eligible voters in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government area of Delta state, who came out to participate in the ongoing voters registration exercise were disappointed yesterday, as they could not be captured due to inadequate personal and logistics at the various designated centres including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office.
A visit to INEC office at Ovie Palace Road, Effurun, off the popular Effurun-Sapele Road, revealed that the officials on duty there were overwhelmed with the crowd, mostly young men and women who trooped the office to get register and get their PVC ahead of next year’s election.
The crowd who could not hide their anger over the prolonged delay in the process were forced to express their anger towards the officials on duty when Our Correspondent visited the place for an on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing exercise, especially within the Uvwie Council area.
An elderly man, who identified himself as Mr. Maxwell Onyekwere, was seen shouting on top of his voice at the INEC officials who locked themselves up in their offices at about 2;30pm when it became obvious that they could not contain crowd who came for the registration.
In the words of Mr Onyekwere, “Why is that every national exercise are poorly conducted in the Southern part of the country? This is the same voters registration that they are begging people to do in the North but we make things difficult for ourselves here”.
“I’ve been here since 9am leaving my business place all because i want to get registered, its after 2pm now and they are still complaining of no machines and inadequate personal to register us so we can go about our businesses”.
“Soon INEC would come out to say that Nigerians are not responding to the ongoing voters registration, meanwhile they are begging them in the North. Hope this is not an agenda by INEC to frustrate us in this part of the country”?, he queried.
Another resident, Miss Bubemi Okorodudu, could not hide her displeasure at the disappointment experienced at the INEC office and wonder why people would be made to go through such pains all because they want to get registered to be avlw6to vote in an election.
An INEC official who spoke with Our Correspondent on the condition of anonymity, complained that they have four machines and three of them had been taken to the field to work, leaving the office with just one, which we are managing since morning till we have this crowd now.
According to him; “Initially we are taking them in batches of ten persons but at a time, they became so agitated and they all rushed inside, so we had to stop until they leave so we can continue with the ones we have in our hands till we close for the day”.
He however pleaded with INEC both at the state and national headquarters to give them more machines and other logistics to work with as the turnout had increased in the last couple of weeks apparently to beat the closing date deadline.