Use of temporary cards will create problems in the elections - Jega

For those wishing to make use of the temporary voter cards during the coming elections, this might not be possible as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said reverting to the use of Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) in the general elections would create more problems in the electoral process.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, made this known at a stakeholders’ workshop on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 2015 General Elections organised by the commission on Tuesday in Abuja.

Jega said that INEC had gone far in the production and distribution of PVCs as well as in its preparation to use card readers during the elections.

He said that the use of TVCs would be difficult as many people who had collected the PVCs had handed over the temporary cards to the commission.

``Also, for many people who said they have lost their TVCs, they have collected permanent voter cards with attestation.

``If we have to revert to the use of TVC, then we will create more problems because many people do not have temporary voter card any more.

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``But, what is even more problematic is that in producing the permanent voter cards, we cleaned up the register, removing multiple registrations.

``Also, there are over four million people out there that have been removed from the register because they were involved in multiple registrations, whose PVCs we did not produce but who still have their TVCs.

``If we revert to temporary voter cards, this class of people will cause confusion,’’ Jega said.

He pledged that the commission would produce and make PVCs available to registered voters before Feb. 14.

He disclosed that the commission was proposing to set up designated centres in various locations in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe for the distribution of cards and for voting by the IDPs.

``The centres are to be located outside of the established camps, but suitably located to enable all those in camps or in host communities access them easily to vote,’’ he explained.

Jega said that there were an estimated number of between 981,416 and 1,059,868 of IDPs in the three states disturbed by insurgency.

He stated that the commission was collaborating with security agencies to ensure adequate peace and safety during the elections.

He added that the commission required full understanding and support of all stakeholders to ensure successful polls in the in the affected states and across the country.

In her presentation, Mrs Thelma Iremiren, INEC National Commissioner, who was also the Chairman of the commission’s Taskforce on IDPs, said that the commission was proposing 34 voting centres for IDPs in Adamawa.

For Borno and Yobe, Iremiren disclosed that 16 and three voting centres, respectively, had been proposed for the IDPs in the states.

She explained that the voting centres were created for IDPs in the affected states based on their constituencies, local government and registration areas.

``These centres have been established in such a manner that no voter from one registration area can vote in another,’’ Iremiren said.

She stressed the need to put adequate measure in place to guarantee security in all voting centres.

``These elections can only take place in a secure environment. It is therefore important to ensure that security is beefed up at the voting centres,’’ she said.