The card readers provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission are not functioning in most parts of Plateau States.
The Deputy Chairman of Barkinladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, Zaka Gyang, who said he has monitored the election in five polling units, told PREMIUM TIMES that “most people might be disenfranchised because the card readers are not working”
”In one of the polling unit with 600 voters, only two were accredited in three hours; other polling units I visited are not having the card reader,” he said.
”I am of the opinion that INEC should allow those with PVCs to vote, should the card reader fail.”
At about 10: 50 when our reporter visited polling units at Takpan Fanlo, Mzerin and Nyefem, Tasun 010, all in Barkinladi Local Government Area of the state, the card readers were not functioning.
Also, the card readers at Central and Southern Plateau State were not functioning.
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A voter at the Takpan Fanlo, Gyang Habila, lamented. “We are disappointed with the card reader, this may disenfranchise most of us. This is apart from most of those who could not be issued their PVCs.”
PREMIUM TIMES observe that in Jos South, Barkinladi and Jos North Local Government Areas of Plateau state, voters are also experienced difficulties.
At the Hill Crest poll unit in Jos south, along Plateau hospital road, the officials of INEC posted to the polling unit, at about 10 a.m. could not operate the card reader device. The card reader had to be returned to the INEC office for probable replacement.
The electorates at the polling unit were stranded, yet they patiently waited for the return of the card reader from INEC office in Jos.
Meanwhile, at the Plateau Hospital round-about, about 600 meters away from the said polling unit, the card reader was functional. It was, however, slow, with a voter spending about three minutes for accreditation.
In some polling unit in Jos North Local Government Area, particularly, within Angwan Rogo area, INEC officials were not present, electorates were seen waiting.
However, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Gyang Pwajok, was accredited between 9:30 a.m at Alikazaure polling unit.
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Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner in the state, Nasiru Oki, said the Plateau command deployed 4000 personnel across the 17 Local Government Areas of the state.
Similarly, the spokesperson of the Plateau State Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps in the state, Naomi Chiskak, said the cops deployed 2851 personnel to provide security during the election.
There were high turnout of voters in all the council areas visited.
