Potential voters in Imo yet to collect 134,000 PVCs for guber poll –INEC

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, disclosed that barely seven weeks to the November 11 governorship election in Imo State, registrants are yet to collect at least 134,000 permanent voter cards (PVCs).

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Sylvia Agu, told newsmen in Owerri that INEC resumed issuance of PVCs for the election on September 11 and that the exercise would continue until October 9.

“INEC still has about 134,000 uncollected PVCs in Imo in the 27 local government area secretariats of the state.

“I urge Imo residents to collect their PVCs at the INEC offices in their councils, while those in Orsu Local Government Area should collect theirs at the state office in Owerri. Apart from the 27 local government area offices, INEC has also created some centres for PVCs collection for registration areas that have more than 1,000 uncollected PVCs.

 “Remember that PVCs cannot be collected by proxy and they must be exchanged with the temporary voter cards. INEC has gone a step further to gather the phone numbers of owners of uncollected PVCs in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi to send bulk SMS to them,’’ she said.

Off-cycle governorship elections will be held in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi on November 11.

Agu also told newsmen that INEC was prepared for the election in Imo and that all non-sensitive materials had been received and would be distributed to the various local government areas appropriately. “The Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security of which the police is the lead agency is on top of the security situation and shall draw up security architecture for the exercise. INEC is poised to, yet again, conduct a credible, free and fair election.”