Resident Electoral Commissioner, Lagos State, Mr. Akin Orebiyi
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that smartcard readers would be tested in 12 states chosen from across the six geo-political zones of the country to assess their efficiency ahead of the general elections.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Mr. Akin Orebiyi, disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday.
According to the INEC boss, Lagos and Ekiti states have been chosen for the exercise in the South-West which would feature voters presenting their Permanent Voter Cards for accreditation and verification.
Orebiyi explained that the exercise would enable the electoral body to identify challenges that may rear its head on the election days with a view to correcting them.
He said, “The smartcard readers would be test-run on March 7 across the six geopolitical zones of the country with a view to accessing their effectiveness on the election days. In Lagos, we have chosen Onigbongbo ward in Maryland with 50 voting units.
“Fifty smartcard readers will be preconfigured for the polling units within the ward.
“The PVCs will be authenticated and verified from a cross-section of voters in the ward. The implication is that any cloned card will not work. Second is the verification part. The voters would be asked to use their index finger or thumb to verify that the card belongs to them. So, the issue of buying, stealing or borrowing of PVCs would not work on the election day.
The INEC boss said those with fake or cloned PVCs would be handed over to the police if the PVCs presented failed verification.
Orebiyi, however, ruled out the possibility of the failure of the smartcard readers on the election day, saying the degree of failure is very low and that the electoral body has several backups in case they fail.
He said about 400, 000 Permanent Voter Cards being expected would arrive in the state from the INEC headquarters for distribution.
BY TOLUWANI ENIOLA
