INEC sends 5,000 card readers to Benue

The National Independent Electoral Commission in Benue state says it has received 5,000 card readers for the March 28 and April 11 general election.

Istifinus Dafwang, resident electoral commissioner in the state, made this known on Tuesday during an interview with NAN in Makurdi, capital of the state.

Dafwang said the card readers were in excess of 400, saying the excess would be kept on standby as replacement to anyone which malfunctioned during the process of accreditation.

He said the commission was leaving nothing to chance in the conduct of credible election in the state and added that INEC was committed to make every vote count.

The commissioner said INEC had made contingency plans for the replacement of any card reader snatched by thugs, adding that the election would not be cancelled on frivolous grounds.

He said the failure rate of the card readers in verifying fingerprints during their mock trial in some states were too negligible and insignificant to affect the credibility of the polls.

According to him, once a voter is identified by the card reader as an authentic voter, even when the machine does not verify his/her fingerprints, such a voter will be allowed to vote in the election.

He appealed to Nigerians to have confidence in the ability of INEC to conduct credible election and refrain from acts that would subvert the electoral process.