President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his wife, Patience, were victims of card reader’s malfunction at his polling unit in Otuoke, Bayelsa State on Saturday.
Jonathan stood for more than 30 minutes with four card readers refusing to recognise his permanent voter card (PVC).
The 57-year-old, who was eventually accredited manually, excused the technical glitch, saying “anything new must have its challenges.”
A flustered Jonathan however encouraged Nigerians to be patient with the process, insisting that the election will be free and fair.
“I encourage Nigerians to be patient, even if card readers have issues. Don’t instigate violence,” he said.
The President eventually voted some minutes after 3pm.
There were reports of card readers’ failure, and late arrival of officials and materials, forcing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend voting to the next day in some parts of the country.
