By CHILA NAMAIKO –
A SCAM has been unearthed in Pemba District in Southern Province in which some politicians from a named opposition political party are forcing ineligible children to obtain National Registration Cards (NRCs) in an unscrupulous manner.
The politicians are said to be conniving with parents residing in remote parts of the district, to stage-manage their children’s ages to obtain NRCs and subsequently voters’ cards.
Pemba District Commissioner (DC) Reginald Mugoba, who confirmed the development yesterday, has since appealed to police and other security wings to arrest the culprits.
He said, his office has received complaints in which some politicians working with parents, were  manipulating the ages of children to enable them obtain NRCs and voter’s cards.
Mr Mugoba, who described the happenings as heartbreaking, was dismayed that desperation to assume political power could make politicians use underhand methods to get more votes.
“This is a sad development that desperation to get votes could make some politicians connive with parents in the rural parts of the district to manipulate children’s ages to get NRCs and votes cards,” he said.
He said it was an offence to force ineligible children to obtain NRCs for the sake of some politicians seeking to accumulate more votes during the 2016 tripartite elections.
He said from the reports he had received, some politicians in Pemba, wanted to have an increased number of electorates to vote for their opposition party.
“The on-going mobile issuance of NRCs shouldn’t be abused, let eligible children obtain the NRCs and voters’ cards,” he said.
He called on the police and other law enforcement agencies to institute investigations and bring the culprits to book.
Provincial registration officer Mwanda Shingululu was, however, unreachable by press time.