Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
As the 2023 general election approches, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Press Corps (IPC) has again appealed to all Deltans who are yet to collect their permanent voter’s cards (PVCs) to do so without further delay.
It reiterated that INEC has released the PVCs particularly for eligible voters who took part in the 2022 registration exercise.
The state Chairman of IPC, Festus Ahon, in a statement issued yesterday by the Public Relations Officer of the group, Mr. Austin Oyibode, said every registered voter must go to the local government areas and wards to collect their PVCs for Nigerians to achieve the change they crave for.
He said: “There have been series of million-man march and campaigns in progress, and many are expressing their views on the need for change in Nigeria. But this change will only come if registered voters collect their PVCs and cast their votes on the day of election.
“INEC has scheduled election for February 25, 2023, for presidency and National Assembly and March 11 for governorship and state Assemblies. For Nigerians to get the right persons into political offices, registered voters must perform their civic duty to collect their PVCs and vote.”
The statement also urged politicians and political party leaders to encourage their members and supporters to go out and collect their PVCs, “because without the collection of the PVCs and voting, the desired change will remain an illusion.”
The IPC chairman, therefore, called on all Deltans and Nigerians to wake up and see the collection of PVCs as the beginning of the desired change in Nigeria.
“The people should endeavour to create time out of their busy schedule, particularly at this time of the year, and collect their PVCs from the INEC local government offices,” he further said.
However, Ahon also pleaded with INEC staff at the local government area and ward levels to assist the people in whatever way they can so that everyone would collect their PVCs without stress.
The state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Rev. Monday Tom Udoh, at a recent stakeholders meeting organised by INEC expressed dissatisfaction with the level of response from the citizens and the political parties in the state towards the collection of the PVCs.
Udoh said despite the fact that INEC staffers are doing a thankless job across the state, the people of Delta State are not coming forth to collect their PVCs.
He said more than 300,000 PVCs are lying at the INEC offices across the state waiting for their owners to collect them.
