From Sola Ojo, Kaduna, Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Those who registered for Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) between January to June 2022 can now proceed to their respective local government areas to pick them up.
Administrative Secretary, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Auwal Muhammed Mashi, stated this, yesterday, in Kaduna during a media parley with political parties, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates on electioneering campaign, organised by Centre for Communication and Social Development (CCSD) in collaboration with Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women (LANW) under We-You project.
The INEC official lamented the slow pace of collection of available PVCs by applicants who are mostly fresh and transfer applicants.
He said about 570,000 prospective voters registered within the 13 months registration window.
“The collection of the PVC is low at the local government level. I remember that an organisation took us to court in continuous registration. So, if people can demonstrate the zeal they applied during the registration, what stops them from going to collect their cards?”
He said there were lots of changes injected into electoral conduct in the country boasting that the 2023 elections would be the best, not only in Nigeria, but the whole of Africa.
“We want to call on political parties, political candidates and their supporters to embrace peaceful electoral campaigns and election in the coming days, weeks and months. We want to see winners and losers alike congratulating and embracing one another,” he said.
Project Officer, We-You, Hannatu Ahuwan said, collaborating organisations expected political parties and their candidates to mobilise young people and women to go and collect their PVCs.
Meanwhile, INEC has said over 300,000 PVCs were lying fallow, waiting for collection at its offices in Delta State.
They included a total of 244,715 from the 2019 election; 69,946 for those who registered between June and December, 2021; and 17,000 transfered PVCs.
Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Monday Udoh-Tom made this known while inaugurating the Delta State INEC press corps in Asaba.
Besides the uncollected figure, Udoh-Tom said another tranche of PVCs was being expected from INEC head office in Abuja for those who completed their registration between January and July, this year.
He urged voters to come forward and claim their cards to avoid being disenfranchised in next year’s elections.