Card reader hiccups avoidable - PDP. Warns against under-aged voters

Press statement from the PDP. Read below...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the poor working of the Permanent Voter Card readers in Saturday's Presidential and National Assembly elections across the country could have been avoided if INEC had listened to sound advice from well meaning individuals and organizations including the PDP regarding their deployment without proper testing.

National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Saturday said the last minute resort to manual accreditation by INEC hours into the exercise against its earlier guidelines clearly shows the failure of the system.

"The unfortunate development is a vindication of our earlier position that as good as the idea of card readers is, it was too virgin to be successfully used in a general election without proper testing especially in an environment as ours that is not entirely digitally proficient”, it said.

The party described as a huge national embarrassment the that the card reader had problems in accrediting President Goodluck Jonathan, Governors Jonah Jang, of Plateau, James Ngilari of Adamawa, Isa Yuguda of Buachi among others and called for thorough explanation from INEC.

The PDP equally frowned at reported cases of accreditation of under-aged persons in some states especially in the northern part of the country and called on INEC not only to ensure that such unqualified persons are not allowed to vote but also to prosecute its officials involved in the crime.

The ruling party said it is seriously concerned about the developments given the avowed commitment of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP administration to hitch-free, fair and credible electoral process.

It charged the electoral commission to take urgent steps within the law to ensure that no willing and qualified voter is disenfranchised, while urging Nigerians to remain calm in the overall interest of the nation.

Signed:

Olisa Metuh

National Publicity Secretary