Ekiti State Government has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the duration of the voters registration exercise currently ongoing in the state.
A statement by the Ministry of Information on Sunday said the Head of Service, Dr. Olugbenga Faseluka made the call while going round the local government areas in the state to monitor the exercise.
Describing the turnout of the people as impressive, Faseluka noted that the time frame for the exercise would be grossly inadequate to accommodate all eligible voters that were waiting to be captured.
According to him, it took an average of seven minutes to register one voter which he noted led to a huge number of spill-over of people in line at the close of the exercise each day saying it would have been more conducive if the exercise had been extended till 5pm daily.
Faseluka said that the State Government would follow up on the complaints and requests of stakeholders particularly on the creation of additional polling units in some areas in the State.
The State Governor, Chief Ayo Fayose had declared Friday a work free day for workers in the state and directed senior civil servants to mobilise and monitor the exercise in their respective localities towards ensuring that as many eligible people as possible partake in the exercise.
Government’s high-powered teams consisting of Executive Secretaries, General Managers of corporations, Directors, Deputy Directors and led by Permanent Secretaries were deployed to each of the 16 Local Government Areas in the State.
At Ikere Ekiti, both the traditional ruler of the town, the Ogoga of Ikere, Oba Adejimi Adu and the Council Chairman, Hon. Aderemi Ayeni strongly appealed for the establishment of more polling units in the council area to forestall disenfranchisement of a large population residing at the Obasanjo Estate, Shasha Market and other settlements along the Ikere-Ado road who had to travel several kilometres to take part in the continuous voters’ registration exercise.
