Stories by Emeka Nze
Abuja
It was drama at the NICON Luxury Hotel in Abuja yesterday when a former president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Malam Sani Zoro alleged that the batteries for the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the capture of the electorate’s biometric data were being sold in the open market.
Zoro, who disclosed this at a meeting of the national conference Committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters which he is a member of displayed the equipment before the members after the INEC chairman Prof Attahiru Jega’s presentation to the committee.
He told them that he had bought it from a retailer who told him he was willing to sell over 10,000 extra copies of the batteries if he wanted.
Zoro alleged that the battery was not only sold in the Nigerian market but also in other neighbouring countries with Nigeria saying that he was willing to assist INEC in investigating the loss of INEC materials as well as other crimes allegedly perpetrated by INEC provided he has the protection of the Nigerian Police.
Responding, the chairman of INEC said that they had let some of the equipment to some of the states to conduct their election wondering whether the stock was stolen from the INEC headquarters or from the state.
