A national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Festus Okoye has affirmed that the smart card readers to be used in the 2019 general elections had been enhanced for better performance.
Speaking in an interview in Abuja on today, Okoye who is the commission’s s chairman, information and voter education committee, also said INEC did not expect the card readers to malfunction.
“The batteries of the enhanced card readers can last longer now. The window of the smart card reader is wider and can read fingerprints better now.
“We have upgraded the smart card readers and the ones to be used for the election are smart card readers that can perform very well. So, we do not envisage the issue of malfunction. It will be reduced to the barest minimum.
“The issue of card readers unable to read people’s biometrics will be reduced to the barest minimum,” Okoye said.
He also said the commission had required qualities as well as quantity to conduct the nationwide elections.
“What we did was to make up for short falls. Additional cards readers that we wanted have already arrived in the country and have been distributed to all the states.
“So we don’t have challenge to the quality of smart card readers that would be used for these elections,” he said.
