INEC PRESS STATEMENT
28th March 2015
The
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been monitoring
field reports on the accreditation process since the commencement of the
poll this morning. Whereas the process has gone on well in several
places, in some others it has encountered some challenges, especially
with the use of the card readers. Consequently, accreditation has been
slow in many places and has not commenced at all in some others.
Even
though the Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2015 general elections
provide that where card readers fail to work and cannot be replaced,
elections in such Polling Units will be postponed to the following day,
the scale of the challenge we have observed today has necessitated a
reconsideration of this provision of the Guidelines. The Commission has,
therefore, decided as part of the Guidelines for the Conduct of the
2015 general elections that in Polling Units where card readers have so
failed to work, the Presiding Officer shall manually accredit voters by
marking the register of voters, upon being satisfied that the person
presenting a Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) is the legitimate holder of
the card.
The
above not withstanding, in Polling Units where accreditation was
suspended to the following day in accordance with the existing
Guidelines, arrangements will be made for voters to vote tomorrow, subject to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).
The
Commission reassures the voting public that it will thoroughly
investigate what happened, while it remains committed to the delivery of
free, fair and credible elections in spite of the challenges.
Dr. Chris O. Iyimoga
Chairman, Information, Voter Educ. & Publicity Committee
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