Voter registration: Umahi accuses INEC of sabotage

Bothered by the complaints emanating from various quarters in Ebonyi State, over hitches in the ongoing voter registration exercise, Governor of the state, Engr. Dave Umahi Thursday, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of sabotage.

At a meeting with stakeholders, on the exercise, held at the Abakaliki Township Stadium in the state capital, Umahi said INEC had no excuse not to register the people of Ebonyi, in the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise, adding the government electoral body was not doing the state any favour by so doing.

According to the governor, “the unending complaints from people from almost all the nook and crannies of the state, of how the INEC is giving one excuse or the other, every now and then, is unbecoming of the electoral body, which is mandated by law to do this job of continuous voter registration”.

“INEC would complain of breakdown of machines, logistics and others, every now and then. Are we the one to buy machines for INEC? This is a national assignment. And it should also be done here in Ebonyi state, the way it’s done in other states of the federation”, he said.

The governor, who added INEC was unknowingly dis-enfranchising the people of the state, by not registering them, mandated relevant agencies and stakeholders in the state, to take it upon themselves to establish a viable interface with eligible registrants within their domain, to do away with all obstacles militating against the smooth running of the exercise in the state.

Visibly angry Umahi, said it was regrettable to come to Ebonyi in the Southeast, that had always maintained first position in the scheme of things, and found, it was the least-registered, of all the states in the country.

Governor Umahi said the seriousness of the exercise could be seen, by the heavy presence of the people of the state at the meeting, and maintained the state was highly dis-enfranchised.

He said stated that: “In a state where everything, starts and ends with politics”, adding the voter registration exercise, was the only avenue through which, the people of the state could permanently satisfy their minds and partake in electing their leaders”.

“We must make up our minds to secure the future of our state. It’s time to move our state forward. It’s time to work for our state.

There’s no other state in this country, that has so empowered its youths as Ebonyi State”.

We can only avoid crimes in this state by securing the future of our people and we can do this, by a diligent continuous voter registration, because this is another way we add up and negotiate our way up”, he added.