Coalition, Students Protest Shoddy Voter Registration

The Coalition of Youth and Civil Society and the National Association of Nigerian  Students, NANS today stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC  office in Lagos, South West Nigeria to protest the slow pace of the ongoing voter  registration exercise.

Hundreds of protesters also besieged the Lagos State House of Assembly today over  the registration exercise.  They barricaded some roads leading into the Alausa  secretariat.

The INEC office  in Yaba became a theatre of protest as students and coalition  members protested vehemently, chanting anti-Attahiru Jega  songs and calling for the  extension of the voter registration exercise.

At least about 100 students carrying placards, under the banner of NANS first  stormed the INEC secretariat around 10.00 am with placards.

Some of the placards read: “This is not credible election,” “Jega has started  rigging,” “Jega is doing jaga jaga registration,” “We shall fight rigging,” “Jega,  don’t steal our votes,” “No to fake machines”, among others.

Chairman, NANS, Lagos Area Axis, Mr. Ogundipe Olanrewaju told the INEC Resident  Electoral Commissioner, Lagos State , Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola that “we are here to  express our grievances about the ongoing voter  registration exercise. It is not  going on well.

“Looking at the DDC machines, things are going very bad and millions of Nigerians  and students will be disenfranchised if the exercise is to end on Saturday. If the  exercise ends on Saturday, it will be another form of rigging the coming election.”

Olanrewaju said the students wanted the INEC to extend the duration of the exercise  by another two to three weeks so that everybody could be registered to vote at the  coming polls.

As the students were rounding off their protest, the Coalition of Youth and Civil  Society stormed the INEC office over the same reason, saying that the exercise was  nothing but a sham and called for extension to give every Nigerian the opportunity  to register.

Co-ordinator, Network for Good Governance, Mr. Oluremi Olaleye said the coalition  was canvassing for extension of the exercise, saying that “we are the ones   canvassing for credible election and to get such, we have to start from the voters’  registration.

“We should start on a good note but if after one week, less than five percent of the  populace was yet to get registered, then it is very bad.

“We want the extension of this registration exercise. INEC should provide more  machines to capture the entire population,” he said.

Responding to the protesters, INEC Resident Commissioner, Ogunmola said: “I can  assure you that we will not wind up this exercise until all intending voters are  registered. We want to make sure we give Nigeria the best.”

While admitting several hiccups, the INEC Resident Commissioner called on Nigerians  to be patient and assured that all eligible voters must be captured “before we can  conclude the exercise. We now have many DDC machines, by Saturday, we will know  whether lots of people have been captured or not.

“All we need is patience; any attempt to disrupt this exercise will not be good. It  has started on a faulty note, it will end well. I can give you assurance that the  exercise will be extended,” he stated.

Also members of the Agbede Community in Ikorodu Local Government of Lagos State has  sent a letter of protest to the Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner over non  provision of registration centre for residents.

According to a letter dated 20 January, 2011 titled “Letter of Protest for non  provision of registration centres for residents” and signed by Evangelist S.  Olusegun Famoritade on behalf of Onward Community Development Association, the  residents stated that the community has about 35,000 population with over 12,000  eligible voters spread across 77 streets but there is no single registration centre.

Famoritade said that the whole Agbede Community has only one registration centres.

When P.M.NEWS called at the community this morning, there was a long queue of  residents at the only centre provided for the entire community.

Famoritade said “if something drastic is not done, thousands of residents may not be  able to register because as at this morning less than 1,000 people had been  registered.”

—Ayodele Lawal, Kazeem Ugbodaga , Eromosele Ebhomele & Yisa Jamiu

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