INEC urges FCT residents to collect their PVCs

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) FCT on Friday called on residents of the territory to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before the commencement of the 2017 voters registration in April.

Mrs Ndidi Okafor, Deputy Director and Public Relations Officer of INEC, told our reporter that there was need for people to collect their PVCs ahead of the 2019 elections.

Okafor said this would help the INEC staff to focus majorly on the registration of new voters.

She said it would also help people to know their status with regards voters’ card if they were to register for a new one or they already had a card with INEC.

The PRO said this was because some people who were registered in 2011 and 2014, might still want to register in 2017 because they had not collected their cards yet.

“I am using this opportunity to call on FCT residents to collect their PVCs before we commence the new registration.

“This is to help us manage the process properly and to avoid going back to previous registration archive to search out cards when we are supposed to be focusing on the new ones.

“We have cards from the 2011 elections yet to be collected including the 2014 and 2016 cards. They are many, right now we are working out the numbers yet to be collected.

“So I urge residents to walk into any of our offices in the six area councils where they registered to collect their PVCs. The offices are opened from 9.a.m. to 3.p.m. from Mondays to Friday,’’’ she said.

Okafor said with the decentralisation of the collection of PVC, INEC has directed that PVCs should be collected at the Ward (Registration Area) in the six Area Councils.

Our correspondent recalls that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, said there were 7.8 million uncollected PVCs from the 2015 general elections nationwide.

Yakubu said the commission was working out ways to ensure that people collect their PVCs before the next elections and those who were of age now can also come for their registration from April.

He said similarly registered voters would be allowed to transfer their voting points to other states or places could do so.