The Kwara Governorship Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Prof. Shuaibu AbdulRaheem, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not been able to make adjustment in their service delivery for the election.
The former Federal Character Commissoon, (FCC) chairman stated this in Ilorin, on Saturday, during the Gubernatorial and State Assembly polls.
Prof. Oba said that INEC assured that the electronic beevers must have a sim card which would enable it to receive signals from service providers, but the reverse was the case.
According to him, “What we heard is that many of the beevers does not have sim cards and now depending on virtual method.
“That is a lot of confusion in that area. What INEC told us is not what we are getting now.
“Electoral body says that the beevers will be used and there will be instantaneous loading of data immediately after voting, but there is no evidence of that.”
“Everything had eventually turned mechanical, so it is contrary to the impression that people have been given, that the beevers is a revolutionary instrument,” the gubernatorial candidate said.
AbdulRaheem, also the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin argued that people were complaining that the material meant for use were not appropriate.
“The likes of ballot papers, as people still have difficulty in identifying party logo.
“The logo was mutilated and the name NNPP has not been written were it ought to have been written,” he said.
The gubernatorial candidate said that there were unpatriotic citizens who had been given national jobs with INEC, adding that some of them are sometimes agents of confusion.
“There was a polling unit where some INEC officers said that they have not been paid, so they will not work.
“It took the intervention of a superior officer to get them back to do their job, “ he said.
AbdulRaheem noted that there was low turn out of voters, but that does not stop people from exercising their civil duties, hoping that more people would turn out to vote.
“There is lower turnout of voters compare to the presidential election and the conduct has not been better in terms of malpractice.
“Like they say, the beevers don’t have sim cards and no Wi-Fi services, for it to be activated, so how can anybody trust that kind of thing,” he queried.
