VOTERS’ REGISTRATION: CAN give thumbs up for extension

By Sam EYOBOKA & Olayinka LATONA
THE umbrella body of Christians in the country, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has given thumbs up for the presidential endorsement for a possible extension to the ongoing voters registration exercise which had been fraught with monumental hiccups.
Reacting to widespread complaints of faulty DDC machines by potential voters across the country, the National President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritse-jafor urged Nigerians to be patient and see the initial hiccups as normal challenges associated with any novel process.
Oritsejafor appealed to Nigerians not to be discouraged by the wobbly beginning of the 2011 electoral process, assuring that when it becomes obvious to every Nigerian that majority of populace had not been registered to vote in April, the appropriate authorities will be left with no other choice than to extend the period beyond January 29.

Praying that the electoral umpire, INEC, will soon overcome the initial teething challenges, the CAN helmsman argued that the much talked about free, fair and credible election can only take place if every Nigerian of voting age exercise some patience and register for the April elections.
“Personally, I see the initial hiccups as challenges with every new thing but most especially because the DDC machines did not arrive on time for the necessary training of ad hoc staff to begin early enough in preparation for the exercise.
“But the good thing is that INEC, yielding to the complaints even from eminent persons including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senate President, David Mark, was reported to have deployed experts to various states of the federation to ascertain the extent of the problem with a view to proffering solution to the problem, especially with malfunctioning scanners,” he stated.
Oritsejafor also decried the near absence of voters’ enlightenment programme on the part of INEC, saying that the people in the rural areas of the country are not being effectively carried along and “that is dangerous because politicians may capitalize on that lapse to manipulate the process in those parts of the country.”
According to the fiery gospel preacher, “if INEC gives any room for politicians to hijack the process in any form, then the much trumpeted credible elections Nigerians have been craving would have been defeated.”
Piqued by reports from Jos where three persons were killed at St. Philips Secondary School, Tina Junction in Jos, Pastor Oritsejafor used the occasion to appeal to all security agencies in the country to be extra vigilant and ensure that they protect the lives of young NYSC members who are engaged as ad hoc staff of the electoral body.
One ad hoc staff of INEC was killed and dragged to the road and burnt to ashes by irate youths in Jos after a misunderstanding between some youths and security operatives detailed to protect the ad hoc staff. Two persons were killed in the resulting mayhem, two soldiers were injured while two of their Hilux vans were said to have been damaged by the mob.
The CAN president said there was need for security operatives to be extra vigilant to ensure the safety of the young lads involved in the national assignment, some of whom did not get the requisite training before the commencement of the exercise.
“There is nothing wrong with people protesting for their rights but, any act of vandalism and the killing of fellow Nigerians during the cause of this exercise is not acceptable from anybody. It is barbaric and we condemn it in its totality,” he stated.
Also speaking, the vice president of LAWNA, The Apostolic Church, Pastor Gabriel Olutola advised Nigerians, especially Christians to fully participate in the ongoing voters’ registration exercise and make sure they vote for credible candidates during the forthcoming general election.
“All Nigerian citizens who have attained the voting age,” he said “should go and participate in the voters’ registration exercise and not only register, but be ready to vote for any candidate of their choice who will be able to take Nigeria from where it is now to a greater height.
If we fold our arms as a result of what is currently happening in the political arena, we are not helping the situation.”