.....Protest INEC’s double standard, mobilise soldiers, police and thugs for final onslaught

By Iyobosa Uwugiaren and Akinwale Adedayo in Abuja



As the nation prepares for next Saturday’s state governorship and Houses of Assembly elections, a major crisis is brewing as some candidates for the contests, particularly from the Southern part of the country, have vowed to stop the use of Smart Card Reader (SCR) during the polls.

THISDAY learnt that the candidates are miffed by what they call the selective application of Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) regulation on the use of the electronic device that was introduced in 2015 to make the accreditation process more transparent.


However, there have been allegations that the device is prone to manipulation even as it is further alleged that while the electoral body rigidly enforces its use in the South of the country, it is loosely applied in the North, enabling the upper part of the River Niger to return massive votes to the disadvantage of the lower part of the river where votes are suppressed.

Some of the candidates, who expressed their misgivings to THISDAY, therefore, said they were already mobilising their arsenal to fight the use of the device to a standstill in the election coming up this weekend.

“You would recall that in 2015, there was manipulation of the card reader. Whereas it was not sensitive in the North, it was ultrasensitive in the South, so much so that even Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who was the sitting president, had to try about six times before his finger print was authenticated,” one of the aggrieved candidates, who would not want to be mentioned said, adding: “You have seen how, again the device has been manipulated in 2019 with its virtual non-application in the North and strict use in the South.”


Claiming that despite their protest of the discrepancy, INEC did nothing about it, he said they are ready to use all means possible to stop the use of card reader on Saturday in the South.

“We cannot operate the same regulation in different ways in the same country. We have seen that the commission is not ready to enforce uniformity of the regulation on the card reader and we are no longer going to allow it,” he said.

For accreditation of voters on election day, INEC states in clause 8(b) of its regulations: “No person shall be allowed to vote at any Polling Unit/Voting Point Settlement/ Voting Point other than the one at which he/her name appears in the Register of Voters and he/she presents his/her permanent voter card to be verified by the Smart Card Reader, or as otherwise determined by the commission.


It stated further in clause 10(a): “In accordance with Section 49 (2) of the Electoral Act, a person intending to vote shall be verified to be the same person on the Register of Voters by use of the Smart Card Reader (SCR) in the manner prescribed in these regulations and guidelines.”

It prescribed the manner in clause 10 (d): “The accreditation process shall comprise reading of the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) and authentication of the voter’s fingerprint using the SCR; checking of the Register of Voters and inking of the cuticle of the specified finger of the voter”

It warned: “Any poll official who violates the provision of Clause 10 (a) shall be deemed to be guilty of an offense and shall be liable to prosecution.”

However, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzi, told THISDAY that INEC was not aware of any move to set aside the use of card reader in the governorship election over alleged none use of card reader in some states during the presidential and National Assembly elections.

He said: “We are not aware of any move to jettison the use of card reader during the governorship election. It is not factually correct that card reader was not used during the presidential election.

“Nobody complained that card reader was not used during the presidential election. Yes, some people complained that card reader was not used in some polling units but not in the entire state.”

Actually the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had complained about the selective application of the regulation on card reader, saying while it was strictly enforced in South as a strategy to supress votes in its stronghold, the device was sparingly deployed in the North, where the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) returned jumbo votes.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had declared President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC as the winner of the presidential election conducted last Saturday.

Declaring the results on Wednesday morning, he said Buhari won with 15,191,847 votes to PDP’s Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s 11,262,978.

Out of the president’s haul, 9,234,434 came from the far North zones.

Overall, Buhari put up a good showing, winning 19 states across four of the nation’s six geo-political zones. In his kitty were North-west, North-east, North-central and South-west, conceding 17 states and only South-east and South-south to Atiku.

The states that gave victory to the president are Bauchi, Borno, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

His main challenger picked majority votes from Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Delta, Imo, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba and FCT.

The closeness in the number of states won did not help Atiku as unlike Buhari he was unable to poll the big numbers from his South-east and South-south strongholds.

Suffering severe cancellation of polls and results due to violence and Smart Card Reader (SCR) failures, Atiku could only poll 3,926,717 votes from his base. The rest of his ballots that came from Buhari’s comfort zones were too meager to help him carry the day.

Related Post
Ogun PDP Guber Candidate has Not Stepped down, Says Campaign Organisation
Dogara: Speakership of Ninth N’Assembly not on my Mind
For instance, in Atiku’s stronghold of Rivers State, election could not hold in six of its 23 local government areas due a lock down by the military, leaving him with a mere 473, 971 votes.

In the end, Buhari’s margin of win was 3, 928, 869 votes.

Pained by the emerging outcome of the contest, the Deputy Director-General (Administration), PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation and former Minister of Special Duties, Mr. Tanimu Turaki (SAN), had at noon called on INEC to abort collation of result and address concerns of his party.

He demanded that results from Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Borno States should be cancelled.

He said the electoral umpire should stop the announcement of results until data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units are made available to all the parties in the election.

Arguing that in line with his party’s commitment to a transparent, free and fair election, it demands for an immediate halt to the on-going collation of results by INEC.

Turaki said: “The PDP predicates its demand on available evidence to the effect that data from the card readers are being reconfigured to suit the manipulations, rigging and over-voting already carried out during the election in some states by the APC.”

According to him, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus has communicated the PDP position to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, saying “We have evidence from the smart card reader accreditation data that what is being announced by INEC has been seriously tampered with and manipulated. In the meantime, we demand the immediate and outright cancellation of presidential election results in Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Borno States as submitted by INEC presiding officers and ask for the conduct of fresh elections in these states.”

The PDP chieftain pointed out that in Yobe, the total number of votes submitted as cast was more than the number of accredited voters, noting that “Whereas the number of accredited voters was 601, 056, the total votes cast was 775, 449.”

According to him, “This is a clear case of over-voting which, by the provisions of the Electoral Act, renders the election null and void. In such instance, the law provides for another election on a day to be fixed by INEC.

“In Zamfara State, no actual voting took place and there was no single result sheet in any polling unit in the entire state. There was an arrest in Shinkafi local government, where an APC member was caught thumb-printing ballot papers inside his house.

“Results from the presiding officer from Zamfara were concocted and allocated according to the wishes of the leadership of the APC and INEC,” he alleged.

Emphasising the opposition’s position, Turaki said: “The PDP therefore demands the outright deletion of the results from Zamfara from INEC records and a conduct of free, fair and credible presidential election in Zamfara State.

“Also in Borno State, there was no election but a figure writing exercise and allocation of results according to the whims and caprices of the APC leaders. We also demand the outright deletion of the results from Borno from INEC records and a conduct of free, fair and credible presidential election in Borno State.

“In Nasarawa, the PDP demands the immediate restoration of our over 157,000 lawful and valid votes which were unlawfully and arbitrarily cancelled by INEC and the announcement of the actual results from the field.

“Similarly, the PDP demands an immediate restoration of our over 79,000 valid votes which were unlawfully cancelled by INEC in Kogi State and the announcement of the authentic results inclusive of the restored 79,000 votes.”

Turaki stated further that “In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the PDP demands the restoration of 27,000 valid votes unlawfully and arbitrarily cancelled by INEC and a declaration of the authentic result, inclusive of our restored 27,000 votes.

“In Plateau, the PDP demands the immediate restoration of our over 30,000 lawful and valid votes, which were unlawfully cancelled, particularly in Jos North and the declaration of the genuine results as delivered at the polling units, inclusive of our 30,000 restored votes.”

Turaki said his party is therefore calling on Nigerians to disregard the results until INEC provides the data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units, conducts fresh election in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara States as well as restore PDP votes in Plateau, FCT, Kogi and Nasarawa States.

“The PDP maintains that from the actual votes delivered at the polling units, which we all have, Nigerians clearly and unequivocally gave their mandate to Atiku Abubakar,” Turaki maintained.

He was ignored as the electoral body proceeded with the exercise and concluded it this morning with the declaration of Buhari as the winner.

Shortly before Yakubu made his return on Wednesday morning, the PDP’s chief agents at the collation centre, former minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, vehemently protested what it called selective use of the smart card reader (SCR) in a significant part of Northern states, saying since it was a breach of INEC’s guideline, the results of the presidential election ought to be reviewed.

Raising other sundry concerns about the conduct of the election, including the deprivation of about 5.1 million voters from participation due to cancellation of votes arising from card reader infractions and violence, the party called for the suspension of declaration of returns until its concerns are addressed.

Some of the candidates for next Saturday’s elections told THISDAY yesterday that they would rather prevent than seek cure for “an injury certain from the selective use of the card reader

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/03/04/state-gov-assembly-candidates-move-to-dump-smart-card-reader/amp/

Card reader just be used thorough out Nigeria, electoral constitutions can not be alter few day to election, FTC

They want to make the card reader the scapegoat for their failure in the elections. Despite its imperfections the card reader has sanitise our elections. Outrageous figures are giving way to reasonable figures. In pre card reade elections PDP was getting over 20 million votes in presidential elections but since its introduction figures for winner of presidential elections has dropped to 15 million votes.

medicine after death, let's continue using it until 2023. then we all think otherwise

Am sure that Okezie ikpeazu will be at the front for this agitation,
He wants to rig but will fail woefully.
O Te go Ikpeazu
O Te go Corrupt governors

They should follow the Buhari's election example and dump it.
Buhari's votes in the 2019 polls were not authenticated by the Smart Card Readers.

Ok

Which means they want to render Apo1 and ractech guys useless abi

Sincerely speaking sha

That card reader is smart when it comes to reading pvc. (No failure to read)
But reading the finger print of the owner na wahalar ( failure to authenticate is too much)

In my polling unit
I was Apo2. ( My duty is to check the electronic register)
Our Apo1 was a female ( the person whose duty is to use the smart card reader)


And with what we observe. If the card reader can be improved it will be good.

Because we were able to read a lot of voters pvc( permanent voters card)
But when it comes to authentication ( reading finger print) it failed woefully!

Now the problem is does this card reader really communicate with inec server after every successful election as we were made to believe.
Hmmmmmmm anyway inec should pay me my allowance o before this Saturday gubernatorial election abi na governorship election
If not i will just riggg the election for pdp by ticking alot of names
In the register and double reading the permanent voters card with the smart card reader

WE DESIGN AND DEVELOP ALL TYPES AND KINDS OF WEBSITES, WEB APPS AND MOBILE APPS THAT ARE CUSTOM-MADE FOR YOUR BUSINESS, ORGANISATION OR BRAND

We have FULL-STACK Development professional team working at your service from our corporate office in Ikeja, Lagos

Features We will Deploy for Your Web App Software Project

== Secure SSL Certificate Installed for FREE
== 1 year US-based Hosting (comes with unlimited Traffic)
== Free Domain for 1 Year
== Beautiful Crafted Website
== SEO Implementation with Google Analytics & Google Console for Good online Ranking
== Comes developed with VERY GOOD Website Speed!
== Logo Design for your Brand (in case you don’t have)
== Websites comes with 247 uptime
== Basic Website Maintenance for 2 Months for FREE...YES! For Absolutely FREE!
== 2 Banner Designs to promote your brand…FOR FREE
== Unlimited Hosting Space

ARE YOU DEVELOPING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?

• Inventory System Software
• Ecommerce Website
• Hotel Management System Software
• Financial Institutions System Software
• School Management System Software/ School Portal
• Hospital Management System Software Development
• Airport/ Airline Booking Management System Software
• Multi-Level Marketing System Software
• Social Media Network Application
• Photo Sharing Web Application
• Catalog Web Application Site
• Forums
• Sport Betting Website

DONT Let Web Quacks Develop your web/mobile apps for your business

CONTACT US TO GET STARTED NOW!

We all know there was a Reason Bihari could win in Abuja. You can't manipulate educated and rich people. It's always the Poor ones you can convince with 2k.




Do you need a Professional, Creative, Clean, Powerful, Modern and Attractive website Designed within time and budget?

Do you want to optimize, redesign or fix any bug on your already existing website? Then your search ends here.

With my services, you will be able to operate a professional Web site that offers you everything you need for the growth of your brand and the success of your business.

Call me now or send me a message and let's make great things happen!

PHONE & WhatsAPP no - 08109060566

Thank you.

That's the best thing to do, that was what brought boo.hari to power and has secured him another tenure

We all know they're PDP members

That's unacceptable!

Best move ever

This very good, smart card readers never fails in the North, but fails disproportionately in the South.
Manual voting is rampant in most of the North but INEC is against it in most of the South.
Since the current Govt refused to sign the card reader into law which could affect Atikus claim of rigging in court then let it be jettisoned and lets go back to the days of Obasanjo of writing results.
GEJ was a weakling to have implemented that system against himself which APC is not ready to do

ganye1:
They want to make the card reader the scapegoat for their failure in the elections. Despite its imperfections the card reader has sanitise our elections. Outrageous figures are giving way to reasonable figures. In pre card reade elections PDP was getting over 20 million votes in presidential elections but since its introduction figures for winner of presidential elections has dropped to 15 million votes.

APC is doing the same in the North with selective application of card readers

Smart readers have come to stay.

Barawo.

Lies about this Card Reader shall be stopped! Has anybody EVER been stopped from voting just because the card reader failed to recognize his/her finger print?

Thanks to APC and INEC the use of card readers during last presidential election has been a fraudulent dummy sold to nigerians.

Whilst manual voting was allowed in some part of the north but was denied in the south which led to the disenfranchisement of millions of voters.

The smart card readers was used to rig Atiku out.

just see how these peps are giving nigeria a show of shame by sayin these gtrash not knowing the meaning of the SCR Talkless of it use



ok we are waitin 4 them this time \they will know that they are not match to the north

Guyman02:
This very good, smart card readers never fails in the North, but fails disproportionately in the South.
Manual voting is rampant in most of the North but INEC is against it in most of the South.
Since the current Govt refused to sign the card reader into law which could affect Atikus claim of rigging in court then let it be jettisoned and lets go back to the days of Obasanjo of writing results.
GEJ was a weakling to have implemented that system against himself which APC is not ready to do

Who told you that?

wikky02:
that idea is wrong INEC shouldn't accept it

They are not using it in the north bro..

Exactly what they did in 2015. They did same in 2019. It was massive manual voting in the north.. It so so wrong,

ganye1:
They want to make the card reader the scapegoat for their failure in the elections. Despite its imperfections the card reader has sanitise our elections. Outrageous figures are giving way to reasonable figures. In pre card reade elections PDP was getting over 20 million votes in presidential elections but since its introduction figures for winner of presidential elections has dropped to 15 million votes.

That is one of the many good things from PDP administration, what have been the reforms by the APC govt? Even to sign a bill to law was not done cuz they were afraid of losing

Guyman02:
This very good, smart card readers never fails in the North, but fails disproportionately in the South.
Manual voting is rampant in most of the North but INEC is against it in most of the South.
Since the current Govt refused to sign the card reader into law which could affect Atikus claim of rigging in court then let it be jettisoned and lets go back to the days of Obasanjo of writing results.
GEJ was a weakling to have implemented that system against himself which APC is not ready to do

Oga, show us evidence of manual voting in the North. Big lie.

I'm in the north and I can authoritatively tell you there was massive manual voting in the north esp in Kano , Katsina & Zamfara states, and these happened mostly in the rural areas.
We all know what went down. PDP were clearly beating in their own rigging game this time around...

2mercy:




.....Protest INEC’s double standard, mobilise soldiers, police and thugs for final onslaught






https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/03/04/state-gov-assembly-candidates-move-to-dump-smart-card-reader/amp/

when the time comes self, we will even be using eye scanner for voting and verification for accreditation. At least since the blind can't vote. Technology is making life better and easier, though not perfect because of its infernal vulnerability to external manipulation, but it is taking over almost everything and we must all embrace the development, not castigate it.

This is the same elections some imps don't want Atiku to contest in court.
Even if Atiku loses in court,let the APC be exposed for it's rigging and evil ways.
Insurgents ravaged states in the North having more votes than states where not even a lalasticlala snake,talkless a human being has been killed.
Only in Nigeria!