Pay Attention To Proper Training Of Ad hoc Staff, Onoriode, Ararile Urge INEC

By Daniel Dafe

The Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State, Chief Onoriode Sunday, has taken a swipe at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over the poor performance of the card readers, adding that many of the members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, drafted as ad hoc staff were not able to carry out their duties effectively at the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly polls in his ward, Ward 3.

Chief Sunday spoke to journalists during the polls at the weekend.  

He said: “The youth corpers were not well trained. Many of them were learning what to do right here. The card readers are not functioning well. Two of the six card readers that were sent here packed up. I am not satisfied with the way the elections were conducted, but voting is taking place.

“Due to the postponement, I expected INEC to be prepared to conduct a free and fair election. But from what I am seeing right here, from the distribution of sensitive materials from CBN to the polling units, I discovered that the arrangement is not still clean yet.

“INEC should do a thorough job. There are some areas critical to the success of an election that they have not really looked into. For instance, the choice of SPOs that we have seen so far, have not been able to manage the election with experience and tact.”

He continued: “PDP has shown lots of love to Ward 3 in Oria Abraka and so this ward must show a lot of love to the party by voting for them.”

Also, an indigene of Oria-Abraka in the said council area, Mr. Ararile Hillary, Chief Technical Instructor, Department of Theatre Arts, Delta State University, Abraka, called on INEC to borrow a leaf from JAMB.

His words: “While I was in the queue, I noticed a lot of things. The NYSC members were not able to handle the crowd well. If we really want to integrate them into this process, they should be trained properly and not learning on the job. I saw even party agents teaching them their jobs and when they start learning from the electorates, they become subject to manipulation.

Also, the President General of Umiaghwa Abraka Kingdom, Chief Monday Aravwore, described the exercise as cool and calm.

“The election is peaceful compared to previous elections. It is perfectly ok. The turnout is encouraging,” he averred.

He said further: “INEC has done a very good job; no disturbances and snatching of ballot boxes. The peace is because Nigeria has a good leader.

“The electorates should be calm and they should take the results the way it goes.”