AS the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State approaches, the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has expressed worries
over the number of permanent voter cards yet to be collected by voters
in the state.
INEC
said on Friday, in Ado Ekiti, that out of 635,315 registered voters
eligible to vote in the election, 285,574 voters were yet to collect
their voter cards, saying this had become worrisome.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Alhaji Halilu
Pai, who made this known on Friday, said 347,741 of the cards had so far
been collected since the commission began exchange of the temporary
voter cards with permanent ones.
Alhaji Pai said if all the eligible voters collected their cards
ahead of the June 21 poll, “it means a total of 634,315 registered
candidates would be able to cast their votes for their choice
candidates.”
He noted that it was not in the interest of the commission or any of
the candidates in the election “to hear that qualified voters get
themselves disenfranchised by being unable to vote
through mistakes of
their own.”
Pai expressed worry over what he described as “such a display of lack
of concern for what is supposed to be civic responsibility and a show
of patriotism on the part of those involved.”
The Ekiti REC described voter cards as the only weapon through which
individuals could choose candidates of their choice on the day of the
poll and therefore, urged those yet to exchange their temporary cards
with the permanent ones to urgently do so.
According to him, they could do so at their respective local
government headquarters since there was no time limit for it, and added
that they could do so by bringing their temporary cards.
The Ekiti INEC boss warned the people of the state to remember that
no voter without the permanent voter card would be allowed to vote in
the election.
INEC had announced that the governorship election in Ekiti State would be conducted with the new permanent voter cards.
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