By Ola Ajayi
EIGHT days to the March 28 election, the Independent National Electoral Commission in Oyo State has said there is considerable improvement in the collection of Permanent Voter cards when compared to the number that were yet to collect last week.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador Rufus Akeju who spoke through the Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Ayo Folami told South West Voice that the total number of Permanent Voter Cards received was two million, three hundred and eighty-one thousand, one hundred and two (2, 381, 102) and out of these, a total of one million, six hundred and fifty-two thousand, one hundred and fifty three(1,652,153) representing 69.39 per cent have been distributed as at March 16, 2015. According to him, about 728,939 cards are still waiting to be collected. On the card readers, he said the parent body at the national has sent about six thousand, six hundred and seventy-three even though 5 five thousand, six hundred and twenty were required.
From left: Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Amb. Rufus Akeju; Chairman, Joint National Association of Person with Disabilities (Oyo State chapter), Mr. Sola Obe and Public Relations Officer, Mr Olajire Temitope, at the presentation of Voter Education Message Braille Form to visually impaired people executives in Ibadan.
To ensure the readiness of the commission, he added that 1,053 had been received for contingency. As for now, he noted that everything is going on as expected and there are “no unusual challenges”.
Just last week, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador Rufus Akeju said about 743, 367 registered voters were yet to pick their cards.
Enlightenment programmes
The sensitization and enlightenment programmes embarked upon by the Independent National Electoral Commission in Oyo State seems to have paid off as more registered voters have trooped out to collect their permanent voter cards.
Also, all parties in the state, their candidates from the senatorial, governorship to the House of Assembly have intensified calls on their supporters to ensure they get their cards. At every campaign, rally and other political gatherings, they ensure they monitor their supporters to obtain their cards.
Investigations carried out by South West Voice show that the volume of cards which were displayed at collection centres last week has reduced drastically.
When our correspondent visited some collection points at Agodi Gate, Mokola, Sango, Anwaru Islam Eleyele, Ibadan North Local Government, New Eden Primary School, Oke Itunu, Mokola and other centres, it was confirmed that more people had picked their cards.
Though, the ad-hoc staff at the centres said they could not speak on behalf of the commission and directed the correspondent to the commission headquarter at the Secretariat, Ibadan, they disclosed that more people had come for their cards.
“I think the sensitization has recorded some success. It has improved a little. It is different from what happened the previous weeks when we sat and waited endlessly for them to collect their cards”.
She dismissed the claims that the commission did not print cards or o mit names of some people during registration in 2011 adding that they may not know where their cards are but it is sure that considerable number of people would receive their cards.
“It is not the fault of the commission. You too see these cards on the table. They certainly belong to some people who either don’t bother or feel the card is not that important to them.
While going round the centres, it was discovered that several people in the city could not locate where their cards were since some collection centres are not where people registered.
People just wander from one collection point to the other in search of their names and cards.
Ajani Aletile, said he registered at a unit opposite Veterinary Mokola and when he got there, he could not find anybody and he was directed to Ibadan North Local Government where they sent him back to where he came from.
While educating people living with disabilities sometime ago, he said, “Section 56(2) of 2010 Electoral Act as amended states that the commission may take reasonable steps to ensure that voters with disabilities are assisted at the polling place by the provision of suitable means of communication, such as Braille, large embossed print or electronic devices or sign language interpretation or off-site voting in appropriate cases.” “This commission, at numerous for a, national and state levels promised to mainstream every group of qualified Nigerians into our electoral process”.
Chairman, Joint national Association of Persons with Disabilities, Oyo state chapter, Mr. Emmanuel Obe said all the materials given to him on behalf of his members would be distributed across the zones in the state.
Commending the efforts of INEC, he said, “at least, there has been a radical shift from what was obtainable in the past because INEC, this time around, has tried to include the exclusive and among those that were once excluded are people living with disabilities. So, it is a good development and we wish that the best happens in the forthcoming elections”.
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