By Friday Obande
The Independent National Electoral Commission says voters can vote with any finger during the forthcoming general election.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner on Voter’s Education, Barrister Festus Okoye made the clarification with media executive in Abuja on its state of preparedness for the forthcoming general election.
Okoye said the clarification became necessary as a result of the confusion by prospective voters. Some voters have been insisting that only the thumb would be used to thumbprint ballot papers while some have said it is only the index fingers.
Clarifying the issue the Resident Electoral Commissioner noted that voters are free to use any of their fingers even if it is the little finger. “the only requirement is that the mark is visible and it is within the box of the preferred party” he said the explanation was necessary because in a situation where the fingerprint goes outside the box it may lead to a void vote, consequently “even if it is the little finger that can conveniently be used there is nothing wrong with it” He said.
On the Commission’s state of preparedness for the election, Okoye said the Commission has concluded the recruitment of over 814, 453 ad-hoc staff for the election and their training has commenced in all the states of the federation.
He also revealed that INEC has signed an MOU with Transport Workers Union for the deployment and retrieval of election personnel and materials in a safe and timely manner, this he said is also in conjunction with the Federal Roads Safety Commission.
He also used the occasion to called on Nigerians to go and collect their voter’s card as the exercise would come to a close on the 8th of this month and there would be an extension.
Speaking on the contentious issue of the recruitment of Collation Officers he said INEC had to do it centrally because this has always been the practice since 2011.
He reiterated the resolve of the commission to conduct free and fair election irrespective of the enormous challenges; ranging from the size of the ballot paper, the number of political parties, conflicting court orders, vote buying among others; that the commission has had to grapple with.
