INEC counsels voters on how to report complaints

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised voters reporting issues directly from the field to be specific on their locations.

The commission gave the advice through its verified Twitter handle, @inecnigeria, following a deluge of complaints from voters at polling centres across the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the complaints were mainly on late arrival of INEC officials, card reader malfunctioning and omission of names on the voter register.

However, many of the complainants did not give their specific locations, making it difficult for the commission to verify their claims and act accordingly.

“You need to be specific with your location(s) while reporting issues from the field.

“Please provide the name of the state/LGA/Ward/Polling Unit to enable us to track your report(s) and provide solution(s) as soon as possible,’’ the tweet said.

The commission included an emergency line, 0700-2255-4632, through which voters could call in to report cases.

Meanwhile, some voters in Wuse District of Abuja said they could not vote due to the omission of their names in the register.

One of them is Mr Korede AKintunde, a civil servant, who was registered at Polling Unit 005 located at Junior Secondary School, Wuse Zone 2.

AKintunde said his name was on the voter list pasted at the unit, but when it came to his turn to vote, he was prevented by the presiding officer as his name was missing on the register.

“When it got to my turn to vote few minutes past 10 a.m., I was told by the presiding officer that my name had been omitted. I was told I could not vote.

“I went to where our names were pasted, took a snap shot with my mobile phone and came and showed the presiding officer.

`It was discovered that the names before and after mine were there only mine was omitted,’’ he said.

Another voter, Mr Abdullahi Adamu, had a similar experience at Polling Unit 008 also in the same centre.

Expressing disappointment, AKintunde said he had been denied the right to elect his preferred candidates in the elections.