Allegations of delays and favouritism trailed the registration of prospective voters in Ekiti State, on Friday as people trooped out to register to vote in the July 14 governorship election in the state.
The state government had declared Friday a work-free day to allow workers in the state to register in the voter registration exercise, and the turnout of the people had created what some of the prospective voters said was “some problems for the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC).”
A prospective voter lamented that she had been visiting the registration centre for days without getting registered, saying the INEC officials were attending to the list of names they had collected before Friday.
A prospective voter, who gave her name as Bisi Adigun alleged that some of the officials were demanding money for undisclosed reasons, claiming that “where I would have registered at St. Paul Anglican Church, Odo Ado, INEC officials are demanding for a sum of N1,000 from each person to get them registered and this is because there is also so much crowd here and this is the centre catering for many communities around here and in many miles apart.”
At L.A Nursery and Primary School in Okesa, Unit 16 polling centre, Mr. Ilesanmi Susan, said “I have been coming here since Thursday. I have been here since 6am this morning and after five hours, I haven’t been registered.”
He alleged that the officials of the commission were unfriendly.”
He said: “We have a situation where while only 50 people are on ground physically, the two or three INEC officials on ground are attending to a list of over 120 names already penned down. So, it does appear as if the INEC officials have their own friends that they are registering. And those people are invisible. I am even tired of the whole system. I don’t think I will come for the registration again after today.”
However, reacting to the complaints, INEC official, Mr. Tunde Babafunso, said bringing the exercise to ward level was to enable INEC officials to feel and learn how to withstand the pressure during the governorship poll.
He said “What has been happening here is that the people give their names ahead of time and get 24 hours to come back for registration.
“Today, they have the list of those who gave their names the day before and we are attending to them. But what all the people who come here want is to be attended to immediately which has not be possible because of the crowd.”
He called for patience on the part of the people and sought their cooperation with the INEC for a successful exercise.
Meanwhile Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ekiti State has commended the Governor Ayodele Fayose for what they said was his “proactive steps in ensuring that as many people as possible take part in the voter registration exercise in the state.”
Vice Chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr Kayode Akosile, said the declaration of a work-free day for public servants would allow those who had not registered to do so.
He said: “This is not politics nor has it anything to do with that. It is about the future of Ekiti and our people and we must not toy with it. Also, this exercise is to allow those who have relocated from other places to Ekiti to get their cards transferred to Ekiti here.”
Also speaking on the development, the Head of Service, Dr Gbenga Faseluka, said the directive by Governor Fayose that senior civil servants should help monitor the exercise in their localities was being complied with.
“We have subsequently mobilised our senior civil servants to go to their different communities and locations to monitor the exercise. We implore those who are yet to register to do so. Also, those who have issues about their cards can also take advantage of this period to resolve such,” he said.
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