Ajimobi meets Oyo REC, expresses worries over voters’ registration
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has expressed serious concern over the various anomalies and irregularities that characterized the ongoing Voters’ registration exercise and the collection of Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) in the state.
The governor stated this today while briefing the press shortly after his visit to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Alhaji Nasiru Ayilara, at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Ibadan.
Governor Ajimobi said that it has been discovered that the registration machines brought by the commission for the exercise were inadequate to meet the requirements of voters who are eager to collect their PVC or those who want to part in the fresh voters’ registration.
According to him, “the purpose of this visit is to express our concern to INEC regarding the ongoing PVC collection as well as new voters’ registration exercise. We found that in many of the areas particularly in Ibadan axis that the machines they brought are inadequate to meet the requirements of the voters who are either collecting their PVCs or those that want to newly register. We have expressed this concern to INEC and we have been assured that necessary steps would be taken to correct these anomalies”.
Governor Ajimobi assured the people of the state that nobody would be disenfranchised saying that, “With the assurances I have received from the INEC REC, I believe him and I have no doubt in my mind that all the people in the state would be registered.”
The governor also explained that the REC informed him that he had received approval that there would be a second phase whereby all the people would have the opportunity of receiving their PVCs and register accordingly.
He urged the people not to be discouraged by the various anomalies, stressing that registration of voters and collection of permanent voters’ card would be a continuous exercise.
In his reaction, the REC, Alhaji Nasiru Ayilara assured that INEC has put in place necessary arrangement to address all the anomalies, noting that, where the machines are not working well, the technical crew of the commission have been directed to attend to the faulty machines immediately.
He however warned the people not to engage in multiple registrations saying that such would prevent them from voting for the candidates of their choices. He added that no eligible voter would be disenfranchised.