Lagos — Independent Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, yesterday in Lagos, told some newspaper editors that a new voters' register was possible before the next general elections scheduled to hold in January provided the funding and logistics aspects were met by the Federal Government.

He noted that at least one data capture machine with three operators were needed at each of the 120, 000 polling units all over the country, hence the additional request for funds, which now brings the total to N74 billion, an amount the Senate said was too much.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has urged the INEC boss to trim the N74 billion request for a new voters' register.

Ekweremadu who made this known at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport yesterday in Lagos explained that for a country swimming in poverty, the amount proposed by INEC was much.

The Deputy Senate President said the INEC boss' plan of using one Data Capturing Machine (DCM) per polling booth would be too costly as there are over 120,000 polling booths.
He said, "We should be talking about how to save money from that figure, you know, and focus on other areas. I think it is reasonable but a country such as here (Nigeria) where we have so much poverty, it is on the high side. He may have to adjust it to be more realistic.

"We believe there are other ways we can adjust this. If there is anyway we can deal with it in such a way that there could be like two polling booths per DCM, I'm sure its going to reduce the figure. We will work it out with him but he is going to get all the support he needs for us."
He also dispelled rumours that Jega was asking for an extension of the date of election stating,"Unless he has said that this morning, Jega has been consistent that he was going to play by the law, and he is not asking for any extension of date."

"What they wanted us to do is to adjust the period for registration of voters, from 120 days to 60 days minimum, which have done under the new electoral Act. What is he is asking for is to money to go and deal with that. As soon as he gets money, I'm sure he would deliver."
Ekweremadu who also spoke on state creation said that the National assembly was looking at all the viable requests that met the requirements.

He said," "We are going to set up a small committee within our small committee to look at al the request and advise us in terms of those that of those that meet the requirements, those that are viable and those that meet the ends of justice. Then we will be able to make further recommendation to the National Assembly."

Courtesy: Leadership