The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom, Mr Mike Igini, has said that 2,045 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) stolen in the Okobo Local Government Area of the state has been reproduced.
Igini, in an interactive session with newsmen in Uyo on Sunday, said that the PVC’s would be given to the rightful owners with assurances that no one would be disenfranchised during the elections scheduled to commence February 16.
The PVCs were stolen during a mob action that occurred at the 2018 primaries at Okobo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom.
According to Igini, the stolen PVCs would be available before the commencement of the wards registration scheduled to commence on January 16 in the state.
“We produced them in Abuja to defeat those who think that doing that, they want to disenfranchise our people.
“We are printing new ones and they are bringing them this week,” he said.
Igini said the PVCs were stolen where they were kept for safety two months ago.
He also explained that some of the PVCs would not get to their rightful owners because some may have passed on, travelled out of the state or travelled out of the country.
Igini alleged that some politicians also brought aliens from neighbouring states for registration during the Continuous Voter Registration in the state.
“There were some people brought from neighbouring states to register in the state, so the PVCs of these people would never be collected,” Igini said.
He said that 286,928 PVCs remained unclaimed, adding that over 1.72 million PVCs have been collected in the state.
“We saw impressive mark departure in terms of number of collected PVCs in the state.
“As at yesterday, we have given out well over 1.72 million PVCs to people in Akwa Ibom. What we have left is just 286,928 PVCs yet to be collected,” he said.
Igini said that the collection processes would be repeated at the wards and polling units to enable more people to come out for their PVCs.
He said the exercise will last for six days, from January 16 to January 21.
He said that the commission also uncovered 22 polling units in private homes where politicians used to manipulate elections in the state in the past.
Igini assured the people that bailout papers and result sheets would be delivered to the various polling units in their original forms before the commencement of the election in the state. (NAN)
