NAN – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Cross River, on Friday, said it had provided over five additional card reader back-ups to each local government area in the state.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Dr Okey Ezeani, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.
Ezeani said the measure was necessary in order to avoid a repeat of what happened in the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He added that “as I talk to you, over five additional card readers have been sent to each of the 18 local government areas of Cross River as back-up to the ones to be used in the various polling units.
“The idea is to ensure that INEC officials do not run back to Calabar when problems occur.’’
The commissioner, however, noted that he was optimistic that the card readers would not disappoint, adding that INEC had reprogrammed the cards to erase any mistakes experienced in the past.
He also disclosed that the commission had distributed all sensitive materials to the various local government areas in readiness for the April 11 polls
He reaffirmed that “all eligible voters can only vote with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)’’ and urged the public to disregard rumours that people with temporary cards could vote.
“We are quite ready for tomorrow’s (April 11) elections and let me say it here that only PVCs will be used for the elections and not the temporary cards.’’
