The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, on Friday rejected the statement credited to the State Government that people without voter cards can vote with drivers license or national identity card in the local government election scheduled for December 7.
In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jackson Abebayo, the party said the “obnoxious steps” being canvassed by the government explicitly contravened relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution and the country’s Electoral Act, 2010.
Adebayo noted that any strange guideline or law made by the State Government, through the State Independent Electoral Commission, (EKSIEC), that runs contrary to the Constitution and the Electoral Act would be “vehemently resisted by the party.”
Recall that the Commissioner for Information and Values Orientation, Chief Muyiwa Olumilua, had on Wednesday stated that residents without voter cards would be allowed to vote during the exercise, as long as they possess either the national identity card or drivers license.
Olumilua, who doubles as the Chairman of the Election Sensitisation Committee(ESC) set up by the State Government, spoke while rounding off the committee’s visit to the 16 local government areas.
According to him, the affected people must however be those who had earlier registered as voters with the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), but lost their voter card or are yet to receive it from the commission.
He added that before those category of people would be allowed to vote, they must have seen their names displayed on the INEC voters’ register at every polling centre, saying, “It will also be at the discretion of electoral officers manning the poll, to either allow them to vote or not.”
Adebayo, however, said the “reckless policy statement” obviously depicted that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was jittery of the looming electoral misfortune that will befall it.
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