The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported that 373,030 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected by registered voters in Edo State. This was disclosed by INEC National Electoral Commissioner for Edo State, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, during a stakeholders’ meeting on the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) set to begin on May 27.
Represented by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Anugum Onuoha, Prof. Gumus highlighted the importance of the CVR, which will run from May 27 to June 5, 2024. “From the commission’s published statistics of registered voters, Edo State has 2,501,318 Permanent Voters Card. The number of PVCs collected and uncollected were 2,128,288 and 373,030 respectively,” she noted.
The meeting emphasized the significance of stakeholder engagement for the success of electoral processes. “The registration is to enable those who have reached the age of 18 to register and carry out their civic responsibility. It will also enable those who want to transfer PVC to another location to do so, as well as those who have issues either with names or date of birth, to correct their PVC,” Onuoha explained.
Additionally, INEC plans to facilitate the collection of the uncollected PVCs during the registration period. The national commissioner stressed that the exercise will be conducted by INEC officials and National Youth Corps members, with strict measures to prosecute any infractions.
Onuoha appealed to media, political parties, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to help mobilize and educate the public on the importance of registering to vote in the upcoming governorship election.