House Wants INEC To Allow Use Of Temporary Voters Card for Voting In Forthcoming Elections

House Wants INEC To Allow Use Of
Temporary Voters Card for Voting In
Forthcoming Elections
Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja – The House of
Representatives, Tuesday directed the
Independent National Electoral Commission,
(INEC), to allow registered voters with the
temporary voters card whose names are on record
to vote during the 2015 general election.
The Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, gave the order
following a motion on urgent National importance
moved by Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gbajamila in the motion urged the House to
prevail on INEC to allow use of temporary voters
card by those who could not get the permanent
voters card for the elections.
Gbajabiamila , said that for the purpose of the
elections referred to above, the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC has been
and is still issuing permanent voters’ card to
eligible voters in replacement of the temporary
voters’ cards issued to Nigerians about four years
ago.
Specifically, he said that the general elections
being just four weeks or 31 days from now, it is
very unlikely that the commission will be able to
distribute the permanent voters’ cards to all
registered and eligible voters before the elections.
He said that if the current position of the
commission (that only voters with the permanent
voters’ cards are qualified to vote) is not
addressed, many registered and eligible voters will
be disenfranchised in the 2015 general elections
to the detriment of the growth of democracy in
Nigeria.
The Minority Leader pray the House to urge the
Commission to include in its election guidelines
for the 2015 general elections, a provision(s)
allowing registered voters with the temporary
voters card whose names are on record to vote
during the 2015 general election.