As part of arrangement to ensure the effectiveness of the Permanent Voters’ Card (PVCs) Card Reader Machines, the Independent National Electoral Commission will now hold mock elections in 12 states before the presidential elections slated for March 28.
The 12 states have been selected from all the geopolitical zones in the country.
Disclosing this at the signing of a Peace accord by political parties held in Akure today, the Ondo State Capital, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Segun Agbaje disclosed that Lagos and Ekiti have been selected for the mock elections and the event would come up this Saturday.
Agbaje explained that “at the mock elections, the commission would make use of the PVCs and card readers alone. It is to be displayed to the people and to also look at how effective the machines will work on the election day. There is no going back on the usage of PVCs. The Card readers if fully charged, can work up to 10 to 12 hours and we have back up machines for each unit and fully charged batteries.
“12 states have been selected for the mock elections and in South West, the mock elections will be conducted in Lagos and Ekiti States. This is to test the effectiveness of the machines before general elections”.
The REC also added that 78.2 percent of the PVCs had been collected so far in the state.
On the preparation of the INEC for the polls, Agbaje said over 14,000 ad hoc staff had been trained for the polls.
He added that the commission would be making use of over 10,000 security operatives for the polls.
“A committee called Inter agency Cooperative Committee under the leadership of the police Commissioner and REC has been set up. It comprises of security operatives and INEC officers. We have been meeting on several times and we will continue to meet until election day.
“We have Registration Area Centres in all the collation centres in the 207 wards in the state. That is where our ad hoc staff and security operatives will be a day before the elections. We are expecting them to move from that area to the polling unit. We are targeting 98 percent commencement time in the poll.
“In Osun we have 96 percent commencement time and we want to improve on that in Ondo State”, the REC said.
