22nd August, 2014
Many residents of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, turned out enmasse for the Continuous Voters Registration exercise organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
NAN reports that they turned out in large numbers at most centres visited in Ibadan South-East, Ibadan North West, Oluyole and Afijio Local Government Areas.
Some stakeholders, however, said there were still some challenges facing the registration exercise aimed at registering Nigerians ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Chief Goke Oyetunji, Oyo state vice chairman of the APC, said there were challenges because some the machines used by INEC were malfunctioning, adding that, the generators and finger print equipment too were not functioning to full capacity.
“In some local governments like Afijio, Oyo North, Orelope and Iwajowa, there were complaints about the machines, generators and finger prints machines,” he said.
He called on INEC to rectify the problems in order not to disenfranchise eligible voters.
Alhaji Abass Bayewu, the Chairman of Ibadan North-East Local Government, urged INEC to tackle the challenges facing the exercise.
He, however, promised to sensitise residents of the area about the need to participate in the registration exercise.
Responding to the complaints, Alhaji Nasir Ayilara, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo, said that the hitches in some areas were hinge on the fact that the exercise had just began.
“The exercise is going on as planned by INEC. We have a centre in Ibadan for example where about 500 voters registered even on the first day of the registration exercise,” he said.
Ayilara expressed optimism that the exercise would be successful, saying there were enough machines, generators and finger print machines.
INEC had distributed Permanent Voter Cards to residents of the state between 15-18 August before embarking on the current exercise.