BEN AGANDE, ABUJA
The much-anticipated registration of voters commenced nationwide  penultimate Saturday to a rather disappointing start
as most prospective voters left the registration centres disappointed because the finger-print capturing component of the Direct Data Capturing (DDC), machine failed to capture most of the finger-prints of registrants.

For a country that waited with bated breath as a result of the assurances given by Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, that the compilation of a credible voter register was sine qua non to the conduct of transparent, free and fair election, the hitches that trailed the first few days of the exercise sent shock waves across the country.

And, justifiably so!  After three attempts last week, former President Olusegun Obasanjo could still not be registered after three DDC machines rejected his finger-prints.

Prof. Jega

When he took office, Prof.Jega sensationally revealed that the voter register used by the then chairman of the INEC, Prof. Maurice Iwu, to conduct the series of election in 2007 was unsalvageable.  To guarantee the conduct of an election that would be acceptable to many Nigerians and indeed, the international community as credible, Jega embarked on an ambitious project of compiling a fresh voter register that would curtail the obvious shortcomings noticeable in the old register.

To achieve this, Jega proposed that he would need to introduce an entirely different concept of voter registration by using computer-based DDC machines to register all prospective voters. Apart from the huge amount of money that the INEC chairman requested and was able to get the National Assembly to approve for the exercise, he did not spare any moment to assure Nigerians that the hitches that were associated with similar exercise in the past had been taken care of.

In fact, barely a week to the commencement of the exercise, Jega had assured Nigerians that the commission had adequately prepared for the exercise so that “there are no serious hitches and that our people, whose confidence in the electoral process was shaken by the errors of the past, now see that there is the political will, honesty of purpose and total commitment on the part of INEC to deliver free, fair and credible elections based on a reliable voters register.’

But, when the registration of voters took off, the reality on ground was a far-cry from the assurances given by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. From Borno to Lagos, apart from the late arrival of registration materials to most of the centres, the exercise in the first few days of its commitment was marred by technical hitches. In several registration centres, though there was large presence of prospective voters, the inability of the finger-print capturing component of the DDC machines to capture voters frustrated the enthusiasm of Nigerians who had trooped out to register for the exercise.

Apart from the difficulty in capturing the finger-prints of voters, another deficiency that threatened to mar the exercise was the apparent lack of adequate knowledge on how to operate the machines for the exercise by members of the National Youth Service Corps engaged by the commission for the exercise.

Although a series of training sessions were organised for members of the corps to familiarise them with the procedure of registration, most members of the corps demonstrated an incredible ignorance on how to use basic computer applications, the result being that, rather than use their time to register prospective voters, members of the NYSC used the first few days of the exercise trying to familiarise themselves with the machines.

The hiccups that have trailed the  exercise have once again brought to question the ability of the commission under Jega to conduct a free, fair and credible election that would be acceptable to, not only Nigerians, but also the international community. According to a prospective voter whose attempt at registering in one of the centres was frustrated by the rejection of his fingerprint, ‘the exercise has seriously put in doubt the famed credibility of the chairman of INEC to conduct a free and fair election. If with all the money at his disposal and the assurances that he has given could produce only this tottering result, then there is no hope that our votes will make a difference in April elections.’

But, in spite of the problems associated with the exercise, the commission has remained up-beat about the success of the exercise and indeed, the ability of the commission to conduct an election that is free, fair and credible this  April.

According to Mr. Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to the chairman of INEC, the fact that there were initial hitches is not an indication that the exercise was a failure nor should it be used to call to question, the famed credibility of the chairman of INEC, Prof. Jega.

“That there are hitches or initialising problems in a massive operation, how has that affected the character or the integrity of the leadership of INEC. I believe that in every human activity where you have a massive operation, even in military operations, there are hiccups. When you are deploying 120,000 units and there are problems in 50 to 60 units, is that so unheard of?

“The commission has even owned up to that and is pleading for patience and has taken remedial measures the result of which would be seen very shortly. As a matter of fact, the reports that we are getting is that the results are already discernable. I can assure you that in 24 or 48 hours, people will walk into a registration centre, register and walk out in a few minutes,” he said.

Such confidence seems to flow from the top echelons of the commission as its national chairman, Prof. Jega, emphasised that despite the initial hiccups that have trailed the exercise, no Nigerian that is of registrable age and has offered himself to be registered would be left without being registered.

And, for those who have expressed fear that the challenges that have trailed the registration sign-posts the failure that would characterise the April elections, Jega assured that the challenges of the exercise would not affect the conduct of a free and fair election.

“The members of the Independent National Electoral Commission see the assignment that we have for conducting a free, fair and credible election as a very, very important assignment for our country and with the support and encouragement from Nigerians and our development partners, we are inspired to do our best to ensure the success of not just the voter registration but also the general elections in April,” he emphasised.

Although the challenges that faced the exercise in the first few days have been significantly tackled following the deployment of technicians by INEC to correct the software challenges, how the commission is able to tackle the challenges that would arise in the next one week and how many people the commission is able to register would go a long way in determining whether the confidence of the Nigerian people in the ability of Jega to conduct a free, fair and credible election is a wise investment or a misplacement of trust.
For Jega and his team, failure is not an option and everything must be deployed to make the exercise and indeed, the April elections a success.