The Independent National Electoral Commission has said the collection of the Permanent Voter Cards by registered voters for the Ondo State governorship election will commence on Thursday, October 17.
The electoral body stated that owners of 295,603 PVCs yet to be collected in the state will have the opportunity to retrieve their cards and be eligible to vote, including the 89,777 new PVCs which have just been printed and delivered to the state ahead of the election.
The PUNCH reports that the electoral body has scheduled the Ondo State governorship election for Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, stated in a statement on Monday that a total of 89,777 new PVCs were printed and delivered to the INEC state office in Akure.
The new PVCs include 58,708 cards for new voters and 31,069 individuals who applied for transfers, updates, or replacements of lost and damaged PVCs.
The electoral body announced that the collection would be held at the 203 wards and the local government offices.
“The PVCs for all categories of applicants will be available for collection in 221 centres across the state at two levels.
“First, in all the 203 wards from Thursday, 17th to Monday, 21st October 2024. Secondly, in our 18 LGA offices, from Wednesday 23rd to Tuesday 29th October 2024 from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm daily (including the weekends).
“During the period, the backlog of uncollected PVCs from previous registrations will also be available for collection at the designated centres,” the statement read in part.
The commission urged all registered voters to pick up their PVCs in person, reiterating that collection by proxy would not be allowed.
“We appeal to registered voters in the state to pick up their PVCs in person on the approved dates.
“The commission reiterates its policy that no cards will be collected by proxy. Detailed information, including location addresses of the ward and local government collection centres, has been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.
“In addition to pasting the register of new voters for each centre at the designated locations, the commission is also uploading the entire collection register for the new voters to our website to facilitate easy identification of names and collection centres for the seamless collection of the PVCs,” the statement added.
Speaking at a press briefing at the headquarters of the commission in Akure, on Monday, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, said a total of 295,603 PVCs were yet to be collected in the state.
She said a total of 17,705 ad hoc staff and 11,799 security personnel would be engaged for the poll on November 16.
The REC reiterated that the commission was fully prepared to ensure that the forthcoming governorship election was free, fair and credible.
“A total of 295,603 PVCs are yet to be collected but the owners can still come to collect them because there is an opportunity for them now.
“Also for the election, we are recruiting 17,705 ad hoc staff at all levels. We have a total of 11,799 security personnel who would be administered the oath of neutrality before the election,” she said.
Babalola, therefore, urged the people to go and collect their PVCs at the designated centres across the state, to be eligible to perform their civic duties during the election.
“You will recall that the commission conducted a Continuous Voters Registration exercise which began on 27th May, 2024.
“At the end of the exercise, there was a significant increase in registered voters across the state: 58,708 new voters were registered.
“In addition, 3,132 voters transferred their registration into and within Ondo State, while 123 voters transferred their registration within and out of Ondo State,” the REC disclosed.
She called on the people to go out en masse on election day to exercise their franchise peacefully and contribute to the growth of the democratic process in the state and Nigeria in general.
In a related development, the INEC has begun training for over 100 security personnel for the off-cycle poll.
The trainees included the men of the state police command, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Immigration Service and the men of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Speaking at the opening of the training in Akure, on Monday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Board of Electoral Institute, Prof Abdullahi Zuru, said the training was necessary for INEC to collaborate with security agencies to safeguard votes.
Zuru said the training, scheduled for three days, was an opportunity for the commission to further enhance synergy between it and the security agencies in ensuring that a tranquil electoral environment was provided for the deployment of electoral materials, equipment, personnel and free movement of voters and election personnel.
In his remarks, the Director General of The Electoral Institute, Dr Sa’ad Idris, stressed that security was critical in protecting electoral personnel, locations and processes.
The DG, who described the security personnel as the guardian of the democratic process, noted that their expertise and professionalism were crucial in maintaining peace, order and fairness throughout the electoral process.
“During the training, we will equip you with the knowledge, skills and best practices necessary to excel in your duties, we will also cover topics such as crowd control, conflict resolution and emergency response, as well as the importance of neutrality, impartiality, and respect for human rights,” Idris said.
