INEC card readers suffer authentication hiccups in Ebonyi

The field test of card readers organised on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ebonyi State suffered a major setback as it failed to authenticate owners.
A Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria who monitored the exercise at Izzi Unuhu Registration Area 10, Abakaliki Local Government Area, reports that registered voters were only able to be verified.
NAN reports that the situation was the same in all the 10 polling units visited out of the sixteen in the area.
It was also observed that the card reader, where effective, was only able to authenticate voters that registered in 2011.
Lawrence Azubuike, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ebonyi State, said the authentication of the voters by the card reader was not smooth as it was poor in most units.
Azubuike said a comprehensive report on the entire exercise would be made at the end of the mock election.
He said: “The essence of the field test is to determine the ability and efficacy of the card readers and where there are challenges we devise an option to correct them.
“Rectification of the observed hiccups will be made by our head office in Abuja at the end of the entire exercise.”
Maigari Dikko, the state Commissioner of Police and the Chairman of the Consultative Security Committee, said security during the mock voting was tight in order to avoid any lapses.
Dikko said: “We shall beef up security on the election day proper.
“We cannot just leave anything to chances.”
On his part, the state Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nathaniel Ubong, said the corps mobilised 48 of its personnel for the exercise.
Ubong said: “Three personnel each were posted to each of the 16 polling units.
“This is to ensure that security arrangement is spread through the length and breadth of all the units in the state.”
The state Director of the National Orientation Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Abbah, said the exercise was going on smoothly except for the little challenges and unimpressive turnout of registered voters.
Abbah, however, called for more deployment of personnel to man the units in future exercise.
NAN also reports that the accreditation exercise started at 8am amid tight security by the Police, Army, NSCDC, the Department of State Services and the Federal Road Safety Corps.