Card reader rejects Obasanjo, Bankole’s fingerprints

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was a victim of a malfunctioned card reader, as the machine rejected his fingerprint seven times, before the problem was eventually resolved.

Mr Obasnjo later cast his votes at about 11.15 a.m.

He voted at Ward 11, Polling Unit 22 in Olusomi compound, Totoro community in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the State.

“I went through the process, they put my PVC in the card reader then they have a bit of problems sorting my thumbprint and then when they were able to sort it out, they made me to go through the process of voting. They gave me the ballot papers for the Presidential, Senate and the House of Representatives and it was very orderly,” Mr Obasanjo told journalists.

He said he had two hours delay at the polling booth, but still expressed satisfaction with what he described as the smooth conduct of the process.

Mr Obasanjo said the rejection of his fingerprint by the card reader might be as a result of having used his palm on oily substance at home.

“I am here to perform my civic right and cast my vote. There was a small delay, materials arrived late. But it was a small delay by two hours, which can be accommodated other than that the process is going smoothly. Even though there were many people waiting, either waiting to cast their votes or waiting to welcome me because now I vote in my compound where I was born.”

The former president said he was optimistic that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will make amends for the shortcomings ahead of next elections.

“In any competition, there will always be winners and losers. What anybody in any competition must be prepared for, as a good sportsman is that if I win I will show magnanimity, if I lose I will also bow down graciously. That is what any competition is all about . If your purpose of going to competition is that you must win at all cost, then that is no longer a competition.”

The former Speaker House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, was also a victim of the card reader as the machine rejected his fingerprint. He had to go manual to cast his vote at his ward 10, unit 6, Egunjo compound, Iporo- Sodeke, Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Mr Bankole told journalists after casting his vote that he was satisfied with the conduct of the exercise. He said the exercise in his polling units and information he gathered from other places showed it was peaceful.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2,comprising Lagos and Ogun States, Lawal Shehu, while addressing press in Sokori area of Abeokuta metropolis, said, ’So far, so good about the poll. The security agencies have made very remarkable and wonderful arrangement.

In all the polling centres I visited, we met tight security. And the people were accredited and voting without hitch, molestation and intimidation. So far, so good, we did not record any incident so far and did not record any complaint from anywhere. So the situation is very impressive. So no offence committed, no arrest made and nobody call us to report any emergency,” he said.

The Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his wife cast their votes at ward 6, unit 8 Itoko in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, and admitted some delay in the process. But Mr Amosun also expressed optimism.

“So far so good. Yes, I know there is room for improvement in any process, in anything that we do. We actually had some delay. It took some time for the card reader to process our cards. In some instances, the card reader failed. But clearly, I think it is a process. But once we are patient like this, we will overcome,”, he told journalists.

“By and large, we can say the election is going on well, it is peaceful though slow. The process is what I call, I will not say cumbersome, but it is truly, truly tasking. You can imagine a polling officer writing and signing all the three ballot papers, it is a lot of work that he is doing. Kudos to all of them.

“We pray that at the end of the day it will be like this throughout Ogun State and throughout Nigeria because so far so good. It is peaceful except for the issue of the card readers that the people are saying is not working.”