132,000 PVCs ARE YET TO BE COLLECTED—ANAMBRA REC CRIES OUT

REPORTER: KEVIN EKEDIEGWU

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says over one hundred and thirty-two thousand Permanente Voter Cards (PVCs) are lying uncollected in Anambra State.

The State Resident Electoral Commissioner,
Dr. Queen Elizabeth Agwu, stated this during a stakeholders meeting held at INEC headquarters in Awka.

She said the Commission had fixed from December 12, 2022 to January 22, 2023 as dates for the collection of PVCs in the state.

The REC explained that a number of collation centers, Registration Area Centers (RACs) or Super registration area centers had been relocated for reasons ranging from poor or dilapidated structures, bad terrain to unsafe environment for conduct of credible elections in the state.

Dr. Agwu pointed out that the Commission had commenced the distribution of non sensitive materials to various voting points in the state.

She appealed to the state Ministry of Transport to set up measures to prosecute any driver, transport company or transport union that attempted to frustrate the movement of election officials and materials to their places of need during the elections in the state.

In a remark,the Commissioner for Transport in the state, Mrs. Pat Igwebike, expressed dismay over the number of uncollected PVCs in the state and urged residents to go and collect their PVCs to enable them to vote.

The traditional ruler of Enugwukwu, Igwe Raph Ekpeh, said traditional rulers needed to put their heads together in order to secure INEC officials who would work during the elections in the state.

The event was well attended by various stakeholders in the state.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU