Ohuabunwa decries card reader failure

The Peoples Democratic Party senatorial candidate for Abia North district, Chief Mao Ohuabunwa has decried the high rate of card reader failure in his Arochukwu Local Government Area.

Ohuabunwa who spoke with our correspondent after he was accredited said something urgent needed to be done to address “the heavy failure” of card readers
in the area.

He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission should approve the use of manual accreditation in the area for voters with valid permanent voter card.

The ex-Speaker, ECOWAS Parliament said the high rate of card reader failure in the area was almost causing tension in some polling units as voters who had been on the queue for a long time had run out of patience.

He said they were afraid that they might not be allowed to vote if they were not accredited before the expiration of the accreditation time.

Ohuabunwa said it would be injustice to disenfranchise such high number of voters who were eager to vote but could not be accredited.

Ohafia and Arochukwu Local Government Areas were the worst hit by card reader failure.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Defence, Col. Austin Akobundu (retd) has hailed the peaceful conduct of the poll in his Oloko Ward One Ikwuano.

He expressed satisfaction over the large turnout of voters at the polling centre. The Minister however, expressed worry over the reported failure of card reader in some parts of the state.

He said valid voters who were rejected by the card reader should be made to fill the incident form and vote.