The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that it hopes the problems with card readers encountered during the March 28 election will not be repeated in the April 11 polls.
Kayode Idowu, the INEC spokesman, told Channels TV on April 6, Monday, that the problems with the card readers had been duly addressed.
“The challenges that accounted for what we saw on March 28 included the fact that a particular network provider’s SIM card ought to have been activated with a mobile phone before they are inserted. The commission has given an instruction that every card of that network must be activated first in a phone before they are inserted into the card reader.
“Another issue that was noticed is that the protective film that should have been removed was left in the card reader, making it impossible for the card reader to work.”
Idowu expressed optimism that there would be no problems with the use of the card readers on April 11.
The INEC official noted, however, that the card readers worked properly in 99% of polling units across the country. He added that “more technical staff will be deployed from the headquarters to address any challenges on the field”.
It should be recalled that the INEC on Monday insisted on the use of the card readers during the governorship and House of Assembly elections, despite the failures at the presidential polls. One of the most embarrassing situations occurred when three card readers failed to recognize Goodluck Jonathan’s biometrics.
Because of the technical problems observed on March 28, the INEC was forced to extend the voting till March 29, Sunday, in 300 polling stations.
