LAGOS MAY 22ND (URHOBOTODAY)-The Ughelli North Local Government Electoral Officer (E O), Mr Collins Osunde, has disclosed that no fewer than 20,000 persons have registered in the area in the ongoing voters registration exercise.
Osunde made the disclosure in his office while speaking with our correspondents in Ughelli North who visited him to ascertain the level of compliance with voters’ registration and to ensure that eligible voters are not disenfranchised.
He disclosed that the turnout had been very impressive, adding that they moved from one community to another and all the communities in local government had been effectively covered.
“We rotate the machine from one community to another. There is no community in Ughelli North that will say that we have not visited it”, he stated.
Responding to an issue raised by the State Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Bishop Kingsley Enakirerhi that the machines allocated to Ughelli North were few, the Electoral Officer stated that it was the policy of INEC.
He acknowledged that the large nature of Ughelli North, but explained that going by the policy of INEC, two machines and two backups were allocated to every local government area, stating: “For a large local government area like Ughelli North, we have only two machines and two backups. You will expect that to be quite inadequate but that is the policy of INEC.”
Osunde further disclosed that the first batch of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) would arrive soon, adding that the commission was making adequate preparation for the effective distribution of the voters cards.
“We are trying to sort out the voters registration forms before the arrival of the PVC so that we can distribute them effectively”, he stressed.
On how to achieve effective distribution of the PVC, Mr Osunde stated that staff of the commission would be detailed to move from one community to another, adding that announcement would also be made on television and radio for all eligible voters who registered to collect their voters’ card.
He however warned that no voter card would be given out on prosy.