2 million voters accredited in 2015 elections did not return to vote – INEC

Mr Hussaini Pai, the Plateau Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), has said that two million Nigerians accredited in the 2015 elections did not return to vote.

“The voters were not patient enough to wait for that long period between accreditation and voting,” Pai said on Friday in Jos.

He spoke at a zonal training organised by INEC for security personnel ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

Pai said that the method had been replaced with a new process where accreditation and voting would be done simultaneously, to encourage more participation in the 2019 elections.

“The new method will remove the four or five hours waiting period between accreditation and voting,” he said.

He said that the workshop was targeted at building a partnership that would facilitate a level playing ground and peaceful environment for all political parties and candidates in the 2019 elections.

The REC said that incidence forms would not be used because of the chaos its usage caused in 2015.

“The introduction of improved technology will address all voters queries, prevent multiple voting and make the business of elections easier and faster,“ he said.

Pai urged the security agencies to seek clarifications on appropriate conduct when faced with complex situations during elections to enable them handle such scenarios competently.

In his remark, Mr Austin Agbonlahor, the Commissioner of Police in Plateau, commended INEC for the workshop, saying that it would help security agencies update their skills and information on modifications made on the electoral processes.

He urged the participants to understand their roles and desist from being partial and politically sympathetic to parties or candidates, saying that their loyalty should be only to the nation and for successful elections.

Agbonlahor reiterated the role of the agencies in facilitating a conducive and enabling environment for the elections, and urged security officials to be friendly, alert and quick to respond to all incidences.

Earlier, Dr Abel Abari, the Director, Training and Research of INEC in Plateau, said that the training was an interface between security agencies and managers of election to ensure credible and successful elections .

Our correspondent reports that about 100 security agencies, drawn from the Police, Military, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Immigration Service, among others, participated in the workshop.