Polls: Udom happy over massive turnout of voters, blames malfunctioning of some BVAS machines on human factors.

Akaiso Eyo, Uyo.

Governor Udom Emmanuel has expressed happiness over the massive turnout of voters at voting units across the state, despite the biting effect of cash crunch on economy and high transport fares due to scarcity of fuel.

Using Onna ward 3 where he and his wife, Martha, voted as a case study, the governor described voting in Akwa Ibom State as generally and successful, adding that if the right person emerges the next president, Nigeria will make a positive impact just within the next two years.

Udom who spoke to members of correspondents’ chapel at his country home shortly after he cast his vote, attributed the successful election in the state to the prevailing peace and called on all Akwa Ibomites, irrespective of party affiliation to continue to maintain the peace even after the election.

” I am happy voters turned out massively and conducted themselves peacefully.  I attribute the successful election to peace which we have been preaching. If the right man emerges as next president Nigeria will make positive impact within two years.

I call on Akwa Ibomites and Nigerians to continue to maintain the peace,” he posited.

The Governor also used the opportunity to appeal to Independent national electoral commission, INEC to extend the accreditation period for voters in the Governorship and House assembly election slated for Mar. 11, to enable more voters to be captured to vote in view of late arrival of officials and election materials which may likely rear up their ugly heads in the next election.

Talking about his achievements as his eight years administration is winding full circle, the governor said over 70% soft infrastructure his administration has put on ground is not known by people, saying that the road network and other physical structures people see constitute merely 30% of what he has done.

” That is the reason why I set up transition committee on time to enable my successor to study what is on ground and know area of concentration.

What we need is the right policy to drive what we put on ground and we will excel.”

On Naira swap policy, Udom who was cagey and careful not to make a full blown comment on the issue, however cautioned against unnecessary side talks which have  no effect, assuring that Emefiele is back up by appropriate laws in his actions.

“The law allows Emefiele if he doesn’t want to reverse his position on returning the old N500 and N1000 back as legal tenders. Those calling for reverse of the policy lack appropriate knowledge of law. However,  NGF has deliberated on it. I don’t have much to say.

“But in any law we are implementing let’s think of the common man. How will a fisher man transport his catch from the fishing port onshore if this persists?, he quried.

On malfunctioning of some of the Bimodal voters accreditation system, BVAS machines, he attributed it to human error such as inability to remember pass word and faulted the training process by INEC rather than the system.