#KogiDecides: Card reader rejects Gov Wada, wife
The fingerprints of Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State who is also the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) failed the authentication test when he attempted to carry out accreditation at his ward in Dekina. Wada who got to his polling unit 001 in Odu Ogboyaga, Dekina town battled with the card […]
The fingerprints of Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State who is also the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) failed the authentication test when he attempted to carry out accreditation at his ward in Dekina.
Wada who got to his polling unit 001 in Odu Ogboyaga, Dekina town battled with the card reader for ten minutes without success.
Consequently Wada had to fill the incident form to get his accreditation done manually.
His wife, Halima, whose PVC was recognized by the card reader could, however, not find her name on the INEC voters’ list. As a result she too had to fill the incident form in order to get accredited.
A visibly aggrieved Wada who spoke with journalists after the incident expressed disappointment over the failure of the card readers as well as non-availability of incident forms for other voters whose fingerprints were also rejected by the card reader at the polling unit.
“It seems a deliberate attempt to sabotage the process; there are few incident forms here and there are no photocopiers to produce more. As you can see there are so many people here that are going to be disenfranchised which is not fair”, Wada lamented.
According to him he had received reports of thuggery and ballot box snatching in Ayingba despite the massive deployment of security personnel for the election.
He said: “I am going to call the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) after leaving here and hope they will do something about the situation.
Governor Wada, however, expressed satisfaction with the level of enthusiasm exhibited by the electorate and their turnout, pointing out that the card reader was denying the people the rights to exercise their franchise.
“It is mind boggling that in a single election in our country holding in just a ay card readers are disappointing”, Wada said, stressing: “something has to be done.”
Elsewhere at Ejule Ala ward in Ofu local government area in the Eastern senatorial district of the state, eligible voters also complained of card readers rejecting their fingerprints.
Honourable A.K. Achimugu, frowned at the rate at which card readers were rejecting electorates in the area, noting that the electoral officers there could not decide the fate of those whose fingerprints were rejected.
APC guber candidate accredited
Unlike his PDP opponent, the governorship candidate of the APC, Prince Abubakar Audu had his fingerprints authenticated by the card reader and was duly accredited without signing the incident form.
Audu was accredited Ogbonicha ward 010 at 12.18pm without hitches with the card reader.