By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Calabar

The Cross River State Government has warned that anybody caught trying to divert the voters registration materials from the Independent National electoral commission (INEC) officially designated registration centers to any other place will be dealt with.

The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation Mr. Patrick Ugbe who gave the warning in a press statement issued on Tuesday said no matter how well intentioned, government will deal with any person or group of people that try to take the registration materials to places they are not meant for by the INEC.

The statement also warned against people who would want to engage on double registration, adding that ““these are offences punishable by law and anyone caught shall face the full wrath of the law””.

Mr. Ugbe commended the INEC in the state for the successful take off of the voters registration exercise across the state in spite of the initial challenges.

He called on eligible indigenes and other Nigerians within 18 years and above resident in the state to cooperate with the registration officials in the different polling units/registration centers to ensure a hitch-free exercise as well as guarantee that all eligible voters get registered within the stipulated period.

Besides, the statement implored Political Parties, Religious groups, women Organizations, Youth Associations, Non-Governmental Organizations and Community Based Organizations to assist in sensitizing and mobilizing their members to participate in the exercise in order to develop the nation”s democracy.

He appealed that nobody should do anything that would mar the success of the registration exercise or derail the democracy and enjoined all Nigerians in the state to be patient and remain peaceful throughout the duration of the exercise.

Ugbe further called on the people not to hesitate to report any one found in any part of the state with the intention to thwart the envisaged successes of the ongoing exercise.

 …In Jigawa registration suffers hitches

 By TINA AKANNAM

 Voters’ registration in some parts of Jigawa State have remained slow despite assurances given by the state INEC Commissioner, Alh Mohammed Bagobir Marafa that eligible voters especially women would be given adequate attention to register.

When Vanguard visited areas like Kazaure, Roni and Gwiwa local government areas of the state, the registration centres were very scanty

It was observed in some registration units that adhoc staffs were complaining that finger print scanners were not working and it took up to 30minutes to get a person registered because of the scanning machine.

One INEC staff who spoke with Vanguard out of frustration complained that since they started the exercise, no woman had been registered in his unit and few people who came for  registration left frustrated after waiting for hours.

According to the source, about five women who came to my unit left after about 30munites because of the slow pace of the registration which is due to the scanning machine.

His words: “I know the weather has been very cold in this part of the country, but it is not the reason why women are not turning out for the exercise. You know how women spread news, if they tell their fellow women that the exercise is time consuming they will not come out. INEC should extend the date of this exercise otherwise more than half of Nigerian voters will not be registered before the closing date”.

Vanguard also found out that moves were been made  by the people in the community to recruit students from the Kazaure School of Information to help the  INEC staff, as there were complaints that the adhoc staff sent to the area were not handling the registration equipment properly.

Similarly, in some registration units like Tsakar, Kaya and Baki in Roni local government area, there were shortage of  registration machines as it was speculated that INEC gave them only two registration machines instead of Eight. But an INEC staff who refuses to speak with Vanguard said INEC was making necessary arrangement to rectify the problems in the state before the end of the week.