By CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, BEN AGANDE, PRINCE OSUAGWU, TORDUE
SALEM & INALEGWU SHAIBU
LAGOS —WITH the concurrence of the Senate, the ongoing voters’
compilation exercise, which began on January 15 and initially
scheduled to terminate on January 29 would be extended for four
weeks.
In essence, Nigerians who are yet to be listed as voters would
have the whole of February to do so.
The House of Representatives, which resumed from its five-week
recess, yesterday, in its first sitting of 2011, amended Section 9(5)
of the Electoral Act, 2010 in a record 25 minutes to grant the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, a window to drag
on with the exercise to the end of February.
This came as senators reacted angrily to difficulties being
experienced by Nigerians in the on going registration of voters
and ordered the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to appear
before it today to explain the reasons behind the recurring hitches
ranging from slow to rejection of finger prints by the Direct Data
Capture, DDC, machines; inadequate machines and cases of theft of
the machines by grps believed to be working for politicians.
The Senate also ordered the Minister of Education to order the
reopening of schools that were closed down nationwide as a result
of the registration exercise “as soon as possible.”
tuesday’s decision of the Senate followed a motion moved by
Senator Victor Ndoma_Egaba on the problems being experienced by
Nigerians in the voters ’ registration exercise.
Meanwhile a pressured Jega has threatened to throw in the towel if
pressures became unbearable just as it emerged that Avante, one
of the companies that won contracts to supply the DDC machines,
has defaulted and contributed to the prevailing hitches.
House adjourns for two weeks
The INEC amendment and the need to commence work on the
Budget, made the House to swiftly adjourn for another two weeks,
while its 85 Committees will work on the Appropriation Act, 2011.
The amendment, Speaker Dimeji Bankole urged, should be promptly
served the Senate for concurrence and assent by the President.
Chief Kay Odunaro, Chief Press Secretary to Bankole, said the
extension was to allow all eligible Nigerians, even those living
abroad, to partake in the exercise and to give the INEC ample time
to do a tidy job.
Odunaro said: “With expected concurrence from the Senate INEC
now has enough time to perfect its act and ensure that no eligible
voter is disenfranchised. This will also enable our brothers and
sisters in Diaspora to come home and register to effect changes in
the polity. Already some Diaspora groups and individuals are in the
country for the voters ’ registration exercise.”