October 5, 2024

Pathfinder News

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More Than 300,000 PVCs Unclaimed In Imo–INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission in Imo State has raised the alarm over the non-collection of 300,000 Permanent Voter Cards by their owners.

The commission’s Head of Department of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Sunday Adedoyin, said this on Saturday at Inyishi in the Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state, during a workshop tagged, “Building Active Citizens Through Constituency Outreach Voters’ Education in Federal Constituencies in Imo.”

Report said the programme was organised by Care Givers Initiative in conjunction with the INEC and the state House of Assembly.

He stated that names of the unclaimed PVCs’ owners had been compiled and forwarded to traditional rulers of their respective communities.

He said, “The essence of the compilation and forwarding to community leaders to identity those who own them for collection, those deceased and those who had left the country for one reason or the other.”

Adedoyin, who stressed the importance of PVCs in elections, noted that the quest for sustainable democracy and quality leadership would remain a mirage without the application of PVCs by eligible voters to elect, re-elect or reject leaders at the polls.

He stated, “Over 300,000 PVCs are still lying in our office despite our repeated appeals to their owners to come and collect them. We are talking of sustainable democracy and quality leadership but we cannot realise this without the PVCs. So come and collect your PVCs. Again, our registration is still ongoing. The PVCs are there and we cannot use them.”

Also, the Executive Director of the organisation, Mrs. Onyeka Udegbunam who lectured the participants on the need to make inputs in budget proposal and the responsibilities of the legislature, explained that the quarterly constituency outreach was meant to make governance to work for the poor and the marginalised.