By Our Reporters
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, yesterday, formally flagged off the voter registration with the registration of President Goodluck Jonathan and members of his family at Otuoke in the Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa State amidst tight security.

The registration exercise which, however, witnessed slow start across the country, was marked by technical hitches in many states and the federal capital territory.

President Goodluck Jonathan bing registered by the INEC Officials at Otueke, Bayelsa State during the Flag-off Photos- state House.

Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were deployed for the exercise expected to wind up on January 29.

In Imo State, 40 corps members protesting their exclusion from the voter registration were arrested.
At press time, they were still being held by the police at  Owerri, the state capital.

Governors Babangida Aliyu and Rotimi Amaechi of Niger and Rivers State, expressing the fear that the two weeks allocated by the INEC for the registration may be insufficient for all the prospective voters to be captured, called for the extension of the exercise.

Prior to the arrival of the president at his Otuoke hometown where the INEC boss personally supervised the registration of the nation number one citizen, his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, and mother, Madam Jonathan, he (Prof Jega) had earlier visited some of the registration centres units in Yenagoa to monitor the progress of work.

The registration of  Jonathan, which took place at ward 13, Otazi polling unit, Otuoke at exactly 2.20pm shortly after he arrived the serene rural settlement,  was witnessed by the Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, and Commander of the Joint Task Force, Major General Charles Omoregie, among others.

Speaking to newsmen  after the registration of the first family, Jega assured that every eligible Nigerian who availed himself  of the exercise would be registered.

Though the INEC boss disclosed that 120,000 DDC machines were earmarked for the exercise, he explained that the commission had already deployed 98,000  to the various centres across the country. Jega added  that deployment of the remaining machines in the next few days would further enhance the registration exercise.

An INEC official Mrs. Seye Soriyan, HOU ICT, INEC Lagos, Assisting Governor Babatunde Fashola, at Word G,3, Idita zone, Itolo Street, Surulere, during the on-going Voters Registration Exercise in Lagos. Photo by Bunmi Azeez

The INEC boss explained that in spite of the enormous preparation put in place by the commission to ensure the process commences on time, it had its challenges.

Abuja:Twin problems of hitches, late take-off

In Abuja, the technical  hitches arising from apparent software failure characterized the commencement of the registration exercise as several residents of the federal capital  who trooped out to register could not do so.

In several registration centres, there were large presence of prospective voters who could not be registered because of the malfunctioning of the finger print capturing component of the direct data capturing (DDC)  machines.

But the INEC’S director of public affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umenger, down played the problem, saying that the commission’s technical teams were moving round to resolve it.

Although prospective voters came out en mass as early as 8am to register, they had to endure several hours of waiting as the INEC officials did not arrive many of the registration centres on time.

In one of the registration centres in Karu opposite the Family Support Estate, INEC officials did not arrive until well after 10 a.m., two hours after the exercise was supposed to have commenced.

Even when they commenced the registration process, no voter was registered as at 2 p.m. because their fingerprints could not be captured as a result of the software malfunction.

The same scenario played out at four other registration centres visited in the High Brow Asokoro Area by Sunday Vanguard, except for the model Primary School Centre where about ten voters had been registered as at 2:45p.m.

Kaduna: Voters listing on hold
In Kaduna State, the voters listing did not take place at the designated centres.

Residents, who turned out in their numbers, could not be registered as INEC officials said they did not have  materials.
At the INEC headquarters, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Haliru Tambuwwal, was not available when our correspondent visited there at about 5 p.m. He was said to have travelled to Kafanchan to register Governor Ibrahim Yakowa.

A source there, who pleaded anonymity, attributed the non-commencement of the programme to the inability of INEC to distribute the materials to the registration centres due to inadequate vehicles.

Rivers: Amaechi seeks exercise extension

Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State receiving his voters card from Oyo State INEC Commissioner, Ayo Adakeja while his wife,Oluwakemi and others looks on during the Voters card registration exercise held at Ward 10,Sabo,Taara,Ogbomoso,Oyo State

In Rivers, Governor Rotimi Amaechi asked INEC to  consider extension of the period set aside for the voter  registration exercise.

Amaechi, who made the call shortly after he registered at Ward 8 in his Ubima village, Ikwerre local government area, said it is a long process registering a prospective voter.  According to him, it is a relatively rigorous process, so INEC should consider extension beyond the two weeks set aside for the exercise.

Ogun: Osoba tasks INEC on sponsorship allegation

Reports from Ogun State said erstwhile Governor  Olusegun Osoba  asked INEC to give  political parties in the state  the list of its  personnels in each polling station to clear itself of the allegation that its workforce for the registration exercise was being sponsored by a political party.

Osoba spoke  at his Ago-Oba Ward in Abeokuta while undertaking his  registration in front of his family compound in the state capital.

Speaking on the protestation by the Yewa people that they were not given the governorship ticket of the party, he  said  it was their right to aspire but that every right has a limit while the right of others must also be respected.

Plateau: Amid enthusiasm, DDC machines reject finger prints
Reports from Plateau State said the people  turned out enthusiastically at the start of the  registration exercise despite the security challenges in Jos, the state capital.

However,  late arrival of materials especially the data capturing machines, refusal of some of the machines to accept finger prints and a protest by the  NYSC members in Jos North Local Government Area affected the smooth take off.

Materials could not be sent to one of the local government areas in the state (Bassa) until late yesterday because the data capturing machines  meant for the area could not be configured as  the internet was rejecting the name.

Youth corps members who staged a protest in Jos North Local Government alleged that they discovered that their names had been substituted despite having been trained for the exercise.

But the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Habu Zarma, explained that the problem arose because contrary to the instruction given to the NYSC members to remain and get trained in their local government of primary assignments, some of them moved to Jos South and Jos North local government areas resulting in excess of needed manpower.

He blamed the delay in the arrival of materials to many centres  on logistics as, according to him, some of the materials arrived in the state yesterday  morning because of the security challenges in the state.

Governor Jonah Jang and his wife registered at one of the centres at Du in Jos South Local Government Area where he appealed to citizens to come out en masse to register.

Niger: Gov Aliyu seeks registration period extension
Niger state governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, flagged of the  registration exercise in Minna just as he called on the INEC to start considering the extension of the exercise by two weeks.

After him and his wife, Hajiya Jummai, were registered, the governor described the process as too cumbersome and wondered how all eligible voters in the country could be captured in 15 days.

Aliyu, who was accompanied to the registration center by the Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Dr. Emmanuel Onucheyo, and some top government officials, was registered along with his wife at the Musa Umaru, Tudun Wada registration centre.

The governor had earlier, in a broadcast to the  people of the state, called on them to come out en-masse to register for the exercise.

He described the voter’s card as the “citizen’s visa” to participate in governance, adding that, “without it, we will remain only spectators and bystanders while others continue to decide our fates according to their whims and caprices.”

Ekiti: Exercise fails to take off
The exercise did not take off in Ekiti State.
In virtually all the  towns like  Ayede, Aramoko, Ipoti ,Okemesi and Osin Ekiti visited by our correspondent as at 1.30 p.m, yesterday,  no  INEC officials  were seen.

When  Sunday Vanguard visited the state headquarters of INEC  in Ado Ekiti, members of the NYSC recruited for the exercise were yet to sort themselves out.

Commenting on the inability of the  corps members to report at the registration centres, the state Resident Electoral Commission [REC], Alhaji  Isyaku Kawu Maigoro, said  most of the corps members may be resisting to go to where they were posted, vowing that the commission would not succumb to pressure  from the corps  members to change their  postings.

He further disclosed that the direct data captured[ DDC] machines had arrived in 13 out of the 16 local governments in the state.
Maigoro said  his commission had received  1,976 machines out of the 2,360 machines expected in the state.

Imo: Exercise stalled, 40 protesting NYSC members arrested
In Imo, about 40  members of the NYSC were  arrested by the state police command for illegally sealing off  and disrupting the activities at  the state office of  INEC.

The arrested corpers were ferried in Toyota Hilux pick-up vans to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the state police headquarters, Owerri, for possible interrogation.

The  youth corps members, who were protesting their non-inclusion in the voter registration exercise,  blocked the ever busy Owerri-Port Harcourt federal highway, causing road users to seek alternative routes.

One of the top police officers that commanded the operation (names withheld), who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said that he pleaded with the protesters for over three hours to dismantle the road block and seek other peaceful means to resolve their anger.

“When they bluntly refused to listen to wise counsel, we called for reinforcement, applied teargas canisters and went after the recalcitrant and intransigent ones amongst them. They have no business to truncate INEC activities”, the police officer fumed.

Delta: No registration in Warri
The voter registration did not take off  in the three Warri council areas of Delta State due to absence of INEC officials.
Though residents poured out in their large numbers to various designated  units for the exercise, they were disappointed as those to conduct the exercise were nowhere to be found.

When contacted, the chairman of Warri South council, Mr. Mofe Edema, said he was on his way from Abuja and could  only comment on  the matter when he arrived  while the Delta South senatorial PDP chairman, Mr. Efejuku Edon and another PDP stalwart, Mr. Omimi Esquire, said they are still awaiting the arrival of INEC officials and materials.

Jigawa: People wait in vain
According to reports from Jigawa State, delay  in arrival of  materials for the voter registration caused untold hardship to many people as they were  stranded for the whole day waiting for the commencement of the exercise.

The exercise could not start due to the absence of the materials. Sunday Vanguard’s visits to some registration centers showed  that thousands of people left their homes as early as 7am despite the cold weather but only recruited staff  were seen  waiting for the arrival of the materials.

Ondo: Youths distrupt exercise

In Ondo State, irate youths at Igbokoda and other communities in  Ilaje Local Government Area  disrupted the registration  exercise.

This came as Governor  Olusegun Mimiko led thousands of people in the state to a long walk across Akure, the state capital, to senstise the people  on the need to  participate in the voter  registration.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that  the youths, numbering about 300, beseiged many registration centres in the council and sent away corps members and INEC officials.

The youths, who were protesting inadequate direct data  capturing (DDC) machines in the area, locked officials of  INEC up in the office and sent the electoral officer away from the office.

Also, they prevented the distribution of the 195 DDC machines allocated to the two constituencies in the local government.

Police  in the state confirmed the crisis.
Meanwhile, Mimiko and his wife, Olukemi, were  registered in Ondo town by the administrative secretary of INEC in the state, Mr. Samson Awujoola.

Edo: Malfunctioning DDC machines, power outages

In Edo State, it  was disappointment on  the faces of prospective voters  when they came  out early  for the voters registration only to find  in some areas that the machines that were finally brought at about 3p.m. for the exercise were in bad shape.

The exercise commenced very late in most parts of the state but there were also areas such as in Edo North senatorial district, that the machines could not get to.

People waited endlessly for the machines and several of them who could not wait went back home. Another  problem was how to power the machines as the generators brought by officials of INEC  were not functional.

Kwara: Late take-off of exercise

Reports from Kwara State indicated that the  registration exercise did  not  commence as scheduled as  a result  of  non-availability of the  DDC machines at  designated areas.

However, Governor Bukola Saraki  called on Nigerians to support INEC in the first leg of the country’s electoral process by ensuring that they participate in the voter  registration exercise.

Though  some registration officers arrived early at the centers,   in other  locations  there was no  presence of  registration officer  or sign that the exercise had commenced.

Sunday Vanguard  gathered that the delay in the commencement of the registration was as a result of short supply  of  DDC machines brought to the state.

Lagos: Huge turnout, hitches trail exercise

In Lagos State, the people  trooped out  to get registered. However, only a few of them got listed and most of them went home disappointed.

A litany of hitches dogged the first day of the exercise. The hitches include late arrival of the registration officers, inability to operate the direct data capturing, DDC, machines, insufficient batteries and non-arrival of the officers in many locations.

At Ayetoro, there were no INEC officials at the designated venues and many residents who came to register returned home disappointed.

At 2 p.m, hundreds of would-be-voters were still milling around the expansive Salvation Army Primary School, Ayobo school complex waiting for registration to begin. Unknown to them, the DDC machines were being charged in readiness for today.

In Satellite Town, there was no activity in many polling units. But the exercise kicked off late in a couple of polling units. In unit LG-04, RA-05, PU 017 at  Casco Street, Agboju-Amuwo, only three persons were registered as of 3.45 p.m.
A similar situation was observed at Oba Palace, Kuje Amuwo, which has about four polling units.

At the Olusosun Primary School in Onigbogbo Local Development Area of Ikeja Local Government, INEC officials  turned up at about 10.05 am, but did not start registration of voters till about 11.15.

The officials had problems operating the DDC machines as they could not log into the system. The access numbers given to the officials could not open the machine.

Meanwhile Governor Babatunde Fashola  registered and called on residents to exercise patience and cooperate with registration officials  in order to ensure a smooth process.

Fashola, accompanied by his wife, Dame Abimbola Fashola, arrived the ward 3G located at the State Senior Grammar School, Surulere, and  made the appeal while speaking with newsmen shortly after registering.

On the complaint by  some residents that they could not find registration centres, he said, “it is unfortunate that people are complaining about location of  registration centres; we have said it before that we have not changed anything. In the past, different polling units could  have just one machine, but now each unit has its own machines.”