The incapability of Card Readers to verify fingers print of registered voters at yesterday’s mock election held in Garaku town stood a grim test as many registered electorates grumbled of delay in the capturing of their fingers print by device, The grim situation during the mock-testing of the efficiencies of the device compelled electorates to opposed the use of card readers.
At Garaku Primary school polling unit, one out of the ten registered voters accredited, four people were magnificently captured but it took between 2, 3 and 10 minutes for the card reader to capture the fingers of the prosperous voters ensuing numerous efforts which the Card Reader botched in authenticating the their fingers.
The experience was akin at Otutu primary school, Fegen Angwa, Agwan Gimba, Agwan Takwa, Kurmi Shinkafa and Kubere polling units, even as there was a low turnout of enumerated voters during the exercise.
Some of the voters questioned, Dangoje Mohammed, Gaya Umar Rico and John Dangana, who suffered delay in capturing their fingers by the Card Readers, grumbled of long time they had spent during their accreditation exercise.
Consequently, the voters appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to do away with the use of the Card Reader, or to reconfigure the machine in order to warrant speed in it Performance.
Commenting on the exercise, an INEC national commissioner, Dr.Abdulkadiri Oniyange, who monitored the exercise, told journalists in an interview that the exercise was satisfactory and people are getting the hang of it.
He said: “Many people have now realized that it is nothing really complicated. It is not difficult and it is best for the country.”
Also speaking to journalists, the Nasarawa state’s commissioner of information and ethnical re-orientation, Hamza Elayo, expressed faith in the use of the Card Readers, but was quick to add that the accreditation was quite challenging among the voters and INEC staff.
According to him, “the initial hiccup was that the Card Readers will read the PVCs of a voter, but failed to authenticate the PVCs when a voter places his thumb or his fingers on the panel. Therefore, INEC should perfect its plan for the general elections.”
