In order to prevent rigging of election during next month’s poll, the Independent National Electoral Commission says smart card readers it will use in the general election have been configured for specific polling units to guard against attempts by individuals to rig the election.
The Lagos state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Akin Orebiyi, told Channels Television on Friday that the commission had put every strategy in place to ensure that packs of cards that some politicians may have collected or bought from voters would not be used in other polling units.
According to Akin, It is less than 16 days to the commencement of the election and the commission in Lagos had only been able to distribute about 2.4 million of the four million Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) which is 60 per cent of the PVCs.
He said that Nigerians had not come out to collect the cards, but expressed optimism that 80 to 85 per cent of the cards would be collected before the deadline.
He disclosed that no deadline had been set for the collection of the PVC, but it is expected to end few days before February 14, the date slated for the presidential election.
“The smart card has certain features and benefits that will deter another person from using somebody else’s card.
“When you insert your card, it will authenticate to be sure it is an INEC’s card and whether the owner of the card is the person bearing it.
“The individual will put his thumb on the smart card reader and it will bring out the individual’s features.
“The card reader is configured to be used in one particular polling unit. It cannot be used in two places.
“People that are yet to come to terms with that, thinking that they will buy packs of cards and use on polling day, should know that it won’t work like that.
“It will be a more valid process that will not allow the integrity of the electoral process to be undermined,” he said.
“We are expecting 5.9 million cards in Lagos and about five vans came in last night with some of the PVCs. Most of the cards will be that of people who registered late last year.
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