INEC To Extend PVCs Distribution Beyond January 31

Attahiru Jega

                       The Independent National Electoral Commission is set to extend the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards beyond January 31, one of our correspondents has learnt.
The commission also said that it had pushed 65 million cards to the voters and that it was about receiving the balance of 3.4 million cards from the contractors.
The Chief Press Secretary to the National Chairman of the commission, Mr. Kayode Idowu, disclosed this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Thursday.

Idowu said that there was no way the commission would not give a window for the new cards to get to their owners.

He said, “Yes, we are going to give a window of opportunity for the distribution of the 3.4 million PVCs that we are getting now. Already, we have distributed 65 million PVCs to the voters and they are being distributed to the voters as we speak.”

Idowu gave the assurance that members of staff of the commission were at every ward, including weekends, working to meet the demand of the distribution of the cards.

But the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the FCT, Prof. Jacob Jatau, who addressed journalists at his office in Abuja, said the commission would not be able to extend the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards till the eve of the presidential election scheduled for February 14.

He said though the distribution exercise was due to end on January 31, Jatau confirmed that the commission was considering an extension of the PVC’s distribution by a week to increase the level of collection from the current 55 per cent to between 60 and 70 per cent in the FCT.

Jatau said, “Though it is not for me to take a position on the extension of the distribution of the PVC till the election eve, if you look at the logistics involved in preparing for election you will realise that it is not possible.

“But as I have said, if we look at the level of collection of the PVCs, it is most likely that we will extend the distribution till the first week of February.”

The REC, who was recently redeployed from Abia State to the FCT, urged registered voters who had yet to collect their PVCs to do so within the stipulated time.

Only the February 14 presidential and the National Assembly elections will hold in the FCT, while the governorship and state House of Assembly elections will hold in other states on February 28.