The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that pregnant women, aged people, the sick and persons with disabilities, would not be required to join the queue to vote on election days.
The Kwara State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Malam Garba Attaihiru-Madami, disclosed this yesterday in Ilorin at a stakeholders’ meeting organized to ahead of the general elections.
He said this special preference would be accorded them to enable have smooth access to cast their votes without unnecessary burden.
The REC, who told the stakeholders that INEC, was ready and prepared to conduct the best, most credible, transparent and acceptable elections in the country, card readers would be used during the elections.
“We should give our aged, pregnant women, physically challenged and the sick the priority to vote on election days without joining the queue,” he said adding that said accreditation and voting would hold simultaneously at the polling units.
This, he said, was a departure from the past when voters were first accredited before they were allowed to vote. He also said card readers have been upgraded and 99 per cent efficient and effective.
“If thumb print fails, INEC has abolished the incidence form, however, the Voter Register has been designed with a column for thumb print and voters’ mobile number, he or she is recaptured and given ballot paper to go and vote,” he added.
He assured the people everybody with genuine PVC would be allowed to vote adding that INEC would ensure that nobody would be disenfranchised during the exercise.
He reiterated that no voter would be allowed to bring their mobile phones to the polling areas, nor would any vehicle be allowed to be parked close to voting points on election days.
Attaihiru-Madami also remined them that only INEC that has the constitutional right to announce results of elections, adding that it would be illegal for anybody or group to announce results.
“I want to assure the people of Kwara that on the part of INEC, we will and must conduct free, fair, transparent and credible election which will be accepted by all stakeholders and applauded by the international community.
“Together we shall succeed, success is more of attitude problem, we should believe in ourselves and in INEC. “There is no midway between success and failure; you either succeed or fail.
“I am optimistic with plans, preparation put in place for 2019 election, INEC Nigeria and INEC Kwara will conduct the best election ever. “We did well in 2015, but 2019 election will be better,” Attaihiru-Madami added. (NAN)
