Group advocates the use of card readers in the March polls.

The Situation Room, a group of civil society organisations, has called for the full use of card readers in the forthcoming general elections.

It advised the Independent National Electoral Commission and political parties to sensitise voters on the use of card readers ahead of the general elections.

The group, in a statement by its Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, on Wednesday, commended last week’s test of the card readers by INEC but said voters declined to come out because of the fear of being arrested if their Permanent Voter Cards failed verification.

The Situation Room, therefore, called on political parties and faith-based organisations to continue sensitising their members and the public on the general elections.

The group, whose members monitored the test-run of card readers across the country, observed that INEC conducted the exercise in a largely orderly and peaceful manner and that in most polling units visited, the materials were deployed by 8am and the mock accreditation exercise started on time.

The group called for the full use and deployment of the card readers and the PVCs for the general elections, stating that the card readers and PVC passed the integrity test, adding that INEC must be commended.

The statement read, “There was a low turnout of voters for the mock accreditation exercise due to inadequate sensitisation on the part of INEC. Community leaders were seen mobilising people to come out. In Ekiti State, voters were initially scared to come out because of fear of being arrested if the card readers did not verify their PVCs. Even people that had no reason to be scared were unwilling to verify their cards.”

The group, therefore, urged INEC to intensify its efforts on voter education and civic education programmes in order to fully educate the citizens as to why and how they must vote with PVCs.