The All Progressives Congress has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to extend the time for accreditation and voting to make up for the delay caused by the use of card readers The Nation reports.
The party in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Saturday, said extending the time for accreditation and voting will ensure that Nigerians who have queued up patiently at their polling units as early as 8:00am will not be disenfranchised.
It also urged INEC to recognize the letters from the various political party agents, since the commission was not able to fulfill its promise to accredit party agents, which used to be done by the parties themselves.
APC commended Nigerians for their patience in getting accredited, saying by waiting patiently to get accredited, they have shown an unprecedented commitment to the growth of democracy in the country.
The party said from the reports it has received from its field agents, it is clear that the card reader, as a tool to enhance the credibility of elections in the country, has so far proved effective, despite the delays.
”The card reader is a novel tool in our elections and naturally there will be some initial hiccups. We understand that the delays were due to the failure to remove the protective films on the lenses of many card readers, the poor network of some of the sim cards in the machines and the effect of jamming devices on the card readers,” it stated.
APC warned against the resort to manual accreditation in some parts of the country, where the card readers are being bypassed, saying it is against the electoral guidelines.
”People must continue to be patient until the card reader works,” the party said.
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