PVC collection: Some eligible voters express frustration

Some eligible voters in Osisioma, Aba South and Aba North Local Government Areas of Abia have expressed frustration over their inability to collect their PVCs from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The voters, who with our correspondent at the INEC local government offices, claimed they had visited INEC offices severally without getting their PVCs.

They feared that they might be disenfranchised despite all the time, effort and money invested to reach INEC offices to collect their voters’ cards.

One of the affected persons, Victor Egbogu from Aba South, said there were allegations that some INEC officials collude with politicians to use unclaimed PVCs to rig elections.

“If INEC is still retaining the PVCs without due effort to give it to their owners, then they are discouraging people from believing that elections will be free and fair.

“They should not do that. If they say voting is our right and they are refusing to give us our PVCs, what are they going to use them for,” he asked.

He suggested that INEC should use National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to help distribute the cards.”

Chibuike Uchennanna from Aba North, complained that the relocation of the INEC office at the local government headquarters to Umuola near Obingwa local government area was discouraging voters from going for their PVCs.

Mr Chizuru Dioka and Inocent Nwogwugwu expressed displeasure over the lack of computers at the INEC offices in the state, which could help to verify registered persons before searching for their cards.

They also demanded for the cards of their dead relatives to prevent politicians using it to rig elections.

Chiemela Chiavoghilefu and Dr Kingsley Amugamnkonye from Abia North said they had visited Osisioma over five times to collect their PVCs to no avail.

In his reaction, the Osisioma Local Government Electoral Officer, Mr Chijioke Ude, said his office had been making serious efforts to distribute PVCs to their owners.

He expressed regret that the number of staff in his office could not match the number of persons coming to the office to collect their PVCs at a time.

Ude said that most of the eligible voters failed to exercise a little patience in order to collect their cards.