From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Resident Electoral Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State, Prof AbduGaniy Raji, has expressed worry over the refusal of residents to collect the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
Professor Raji who featured on a News Point programme of the Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osogbo Wednesday, said necessary steps have been taken to sensitize voters on the need to collect the PVC but all to no avail.
He explained that the PVCs were taken to each local governments for easy access, yet people have refused to pick it up.
According to him, between June 2021 and February 2022, only 397 were collected despite several announcements.
He said, “we have about 230,000 PVCs that are yet to be collected. We have sent these PVC to our local government office since June 2021 but only 397 have been collected since then throughout the state. We don’t know what is responsible. We don’t know why people are not coming. Every time we have voters’ education and sensitisation exercise, we mention it, yet, people are not coming. Our electoral officers and our voter education and publicity officers at the local government, move around to tell people to come and collect their PVC.”
On the preparation for the July 16 governorship election, Prof Raji said plans have been perfected to conduct the election, saying only sensitive materials remain.
He enjoined Journalists to see themselves as a major stakeholders by joining hands with the commission to ensure that the election is successful, credible and acceptable.