Over 1m PVCs yet to be collected in Lagos, says INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday disclosed that 1,096,355 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are yet to be collected in Lagos State.
This was disclosed by the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Lagos State, Mr. Segun Agbaje, in Ikeja at a stakeholders’ meeting with the media and leaders of political parties in the state.
Agbaje urged those yet to collect their PVCs to go to INEC offices in the local government areas where they registered to collect them, lamenting that the level of participation of eligible Lagosians since the beginning of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise both online and physical was very low compared to other states in the country with lesser population.
He stressed that the printing of the register generated during the third quarter of CVR was at advanced stage and that it would be displayed between 26th March and 1st April 2022, adding that the fourth quarter would take place between 11th April and 30th June 2022.
The REC said that since the beginning of the CVR exercise last year, 112,127 eligible citizens had completed their registration as at 21st March 2022.
Agbaje, however, sought the assistance of the media and party leaders to help the Commission in educating voters in taking the advantage provided by the new polling units for transferring their voting location to the ones nearest to them in the ongoing CVR exercise.
He urged the media to abide by the Nigerian Media Code of election coverage for the purpose of enabling voters make informed choices through the provision of information that enhances voter’s knowledge of the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Richard Benson, has appealed to the electoral body to ensure that physically challenged eligible citizens were adequately captured in the ongoing CVR, adding that INEC should provide more chairs and tables for its adhoc staff at registration units to enhance efficiency.
Secretary of Action Democratic Party (ADP) in the state, Felix Tejumola, suggested that physical registration should be more encouraged than online registration, saying that some eligible citizens might not have access to the internet to participate.
Some of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and political parties that attended urged the electoral body to be transparent in its practices and operations as the 2023 general elections draw near.
