Ogunmola announced this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission on Friday.
He said, ‘‘The voter registration exercise is expected to last two weeks. Unlike in the past where one machine was deployed to cover a whole area with so many polling units, now it is going to be one machine per polling unit. There will be no question of voter apathy this time. Lagos State currently has 8,465 polling units; so we are not expecting anything less than 8, 465 machines to register the voters.‘‘
Ogunmola said that each polling unit would be manned by three people, adding that those who registered during the last elections should do so again. While stressing the need for a hitch-free general election, the new REC commended LASIEC for its working relationship with INEC, Lagos, in the past.
He said, ‘‘I went through the handing over notes and I am impressed by the relationship between LASIEC and INEC. I hope to continue in the same manner. We cannot do without cooperation.
‘‘The assignment of INEC is greater now than before because people feel the electoral process must be devoid of malpractice. The whole world is now interested in our elections and if Ghana can pull off a free and fair election, Nigeria can too.‘‘
Addressing the new REC, the Chairman of LASIEC, Justice Abdulfatai Tajudeen Afolabi said, ‘‘LASIEC has always had a good working relationship with INEC; we have no reason to be at loggerheads. I am optimistic that we can have credible elections. But to do so, INEC has to be independent.
”If we want to be independent, funds have to be released on time. We all know what happened in the last dispensation when funds were not released on time. In Lagos, possibly because we have got a governor who is a lawyer, we don‘t have that problem with funds. We don‘t owe our workers.‘‘
Afolabi said that voter education had started, especially in areas where people had lost contact with the government.
He said, ‘‘We have already commenced voter education exercises in Takwa Bay, Banana Island, and Amuwo-Odofin. In these areas, people seem to be out of touch with the government. There will be a need for additional polling centres. All our findings will be made available to you.‘‘
Ogunmola explained that LASIEC and INEC‘s previous recommendation of additional polling units had not yielded results.
He said, ”We are hoping that the previous recommendations to approve 4,000 new polling centres will take care of those areas where voters can‘t get easy accessibility to other polling centres. We are still awaiting the outcome.‘‘
Reassurring Nigerians of a credible 2011 elections Ogunmola said the time table for the poll had not been released by INEC.
He said, ‘‘Generally, INEC intends to ensure all political parties have a level playing field. That is the first and major step. Once that is guaranteed, you are likely to have a hitch-free election. Furthermore, complaints will be minimal because as human beings, even when somebody loses normally, he will still want to complain. But such complaints will be minimal because they will lack substance.‘‘
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