The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says over 300,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are yet to be collected in Delta, few months to the 2023 general election.
Rev. Monday Udoh-Tom, the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) said this at the inauguration of the Executive of INEC Press Corps (IPC) on Wednesday in Asaba.
“The commission carried over 244,715 uncollected PVCs from the 2019 general election.
”It has so far received about 69,946 PVCs for those who registered between June and December 2021 and 17,000 transferred PVCs, bringing the stock of PVCs held by the commission to over 300,000.
“At the moment the cards are lying in the commission’s 25 local government offices in the state,” he said.
Udoh-Tom said that the commission expected that by the end of November, it would receive more copies of PVCs.
He said that it was the desire of the commission to embark on aggressive mobilisation of registrants to collect their PVCs through the PVC Collection/Political Sensitisation campaign.
The REC added that the commission has undertaken a sensitisation campaign at the State House of Assembly.
”As a follow up to the advocacy to the State House of Assembly, the commission has drawn up a work plan and engagement meetings with chairmen/ secretaries /governorship candidates of political parties/ Heads of security agencies/ religious organisations and CSOs on Thursday, Oct. 20,
”A meeting with Senatorial/ House of Reps/ State House of Assembly candidates/ Serving /former members of National and State Houses of Assembly/ Serving and former LGC chairmen/ political party leaders at both Senatorial/ LGA levels, in Delta South on Oct. 25.
”While the one for Delta Central wil hold on Oct. 26 and that of Delta North will hold in Oct. 27,” he stated.
Udoh-Tom urged the IPC to join hands with the commission in mobilising registrants to collect their PVCs at the respective LG offices of INEC in the state.
According to him, IPC should engage the political parties , who are the beneficiaries of the PVCs to be actively involved in encouraging and mobilizing their supporters to collect their PVCs.
The REC congratulated the new IPC Executive.
“Your induction into the commission’s value chain of stakeholders engagement matrix in the state, therefore testifies to the commitment of the state management of INEC here in the state to replicate what is happening at the national level.
”It is significant to mention here that your induction at the state level will benefit the media particularly in understanding the language and nuances of political reporting and by extension activities of INEC,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the newly inaugurated IPC Executives included
Festus Ahon (Vanguard Newspaper), Chairman, Oghenero Eghweree (FRCN), Secretary, Ifeoma Okafor (NTA), Treasurer and Austin Oyibode (Emerald Online) Public Relations Officer.
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