INEC to deploy 12,000 more machines

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is planning to deploy extra 12,000 Direct Data Capture machines to help deal with queues of prospective voters as it battles to meet the January 29 deadline for the voter's registration.

The commission seems to be gradually easing the fingerprinting failure that hit the exercise in its first four days, but massive files of registrants across the nation which rose as the electoral body struggled to fix the scanning problem now threaten the two-week deadline.

At many booths in the Federal Capital Territory, for instance, more number of registrants and field officials confirmed to NEXT yesterday that for the first time, people spent averagely 10 minutes at the polling units at the commission earlier billed.

However, the feat was achieved at the cost of arriving polling units as early as 5a.m in the hope of beating queues that, at some places, are in several hundreds of persons, they said.

"I came yesterday and wrote my number, 136, and today I came here 5.30am, but as others wrote their names, the list got missing and we had to form a new line and I became number 2," Jimoh Adejoh, a resident of Kubwa, said early Wednesday.

Although the commission targeted an average of 48 persons at eight working hours a day, it mandated its Registration Officers to attend to those who arrive at the line until 5pm each day, according to officials.

Improved process

But residents say the order is hardly carried out as some of the officers turn them back once the list for the day exceeds 100, at times as early as 8am. But those who have eventually registered say the process has sped up, allowing people to spend averagely 10 minutes at the points.

The commission acknowledging the reports, said the difference, although with some lingering technical challenges, point to a determination to get all qualified Nigerians registered.

"The mere fact that there is an improvement is a testimony to the commitment of INEC to getting every Nigerian who wants to be registered, registered," said Kayode Idowu, the media assistant to the chairman, Attahiru Jega.

Mr. Idowu dispelled the fear that the commission may fail to meet its 70 million voter's target with the slow start and the overwhelming queues nationwide.

He said the electoral body is preparing an emergency plan that may involve the deployment of the 10% redundant machines ordered, amounting to 12,000 to the areas that will be of utmost demand.

"We have 120,000 polling units across the country, but we ordered 132,000 machines, with a 10% extra which we can now use for this kind of challenge," he further said.

The commission said it is still confident to meet the two weeks allotted to the exercise, maintaining an earlier position that it is too early to consider an extension.