National ID card to replace voters’ card in 2015

The new national identity card will replace the current voters card after the 2015 general elections, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has said.

The Director of Technical Services at the commission, Mr Emma Ogungbe told Journalists on Thursday in Abuja that the identity card would enhance the integrity of the electoral process.

He explained that with the new identity card, NIMC could give the details of every eligible voter from a particular Local Government Area, Senatorial District or State in Nigeria.

“During election, you go to a polling booth, you get in there, what you do is carry your ID card with you, they check your name against what NIMC is giving them, tick it and you vote.”

Ogungbe assured Nigerians that the new national ID card would put a permanent end to cases of election rigging including double or multiple registrations or voting. He said the “new card is error-proof’’.

“In fact, one of the ministers not long ago even came out to say after the 2015, the NIMC National ID card will become the voters’ card. “So, that just tells us that very soon, the National ID card will also become the voters card and there would be no need for ad hoc registration by INEC again.

“That money can now be used by government for other purposes to better serve Nigerians. “We (NIMC) are able to identify you to be you. A time will come if government says NIMC, give me details of everyone in Lagos State, ages 18 and above, we will give it to them; it will be a seamless operation.

“Give me the list of people in so-so local government or the whole of Anambra state ages 18 and above, we will give it to them because they’ve already been in our database and it’s been sanitised, we know they are who they say they are.’’ (NAN)

INEC to issue 10-year Voters Cards

 

 

As preparations for the 2015 general election gather momentum, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has again promised that it would soon commence the issuance of  permanent voters’ card to all eligible voters.

INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, who gave the assurance at a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 states and Abuja, also promised that the conduct of the forthcoming general election would be smooth.

The INEC boss, who said the permanent voters’ cards would be issued before the end of the year, told his audience that already he had the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to produce another batch of 33.5 million permanent voters’ cards.

According to him, the commission had earlier produced 40 million permanent voters’ cards, which he promised would be issued to the owners along with the current ones before December this year.

“I am happy to inform you that we have gone far in the areas of production of permanent voters’ cards, only last week, the Federal Executive Council approved the production of additional 33.5 million permanent voters’ cards in the second phase. With this, all eligible registered voters’ cards will get their cards before the end of the year,” he said.

Similarly, the INEC chairman equally revealed that the much talked about reorganisation/restructuring in the commission before the general election had commenced, stating that it would be a continuous exercise until the results were achieved while the proposed delimitation of constituencies would be done before the elections as earlier scheduled.

The INEC chairman also used the occasion to introduce the newly-appointed Directors and Head of Departments (HODs) to the RECs even as he assured that the meeting would be a regular one since it has the capacity to assist the commission in its quest to conduct a free, fair, credible and globally acceptable elections in 2015.

Source: Thisdaylive