Despite the repeated calls on residents of Oyo State to collect unclaimed Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mutiu Agboke, has said about 800,000 PVCs are yet to be collected by registered voters.
Agboke spoke yesterday at a stakeholders’ meeting for Ibarapa Zone at the Eruwa town hall meeting.
The REC said INEC is committed to conducting free, fair and acceptable elections in 2019.
Agboke said the commission was concerned about the thousands of uncollected PVCs, despite its efforts to make the owners collect them.
The REC regretted that rather than parties engage in political campaigns, what should be paramount in their agendas is how to sensitise prospective voters on the need to collect their PVCs.
He said: “Without PVCs, there is no way any individual can exercise his or her civic responsibility during the general elections; hence, the need for INEC to intensify efforts in its sensitisation programmes.”
Expressing appreciation to the Ibarapa East for their cooperation during recent House of Assembly by-elections, the INEC chief said the task of ensuring credible elections cannot be left in the hands of government alone.
He urged the people to cooperate with the commission.
On the issue of vote-buying, Agboke assured Nigerians that INEC would eradicate the malpractice in next year’s general elections.
He urged politicians to desist from the act.
Also, the State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs Dolapo Dosunmu, emphasised the need for people to eschew violence before, during and after the general elections.
She noted that every stakeholder has a role to play at ensuring a successful conduct of the elections.
The NOA chief called for more women participation in politics in next year’s general elections.
Some council chairmen and political stakeholders pledged their continuous support for the INEC at ensuring a smooth conduct of next year’s general elections.
Agboke visited the palace of the Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Akindele, where he solicited the support of the monarch to educate the people on the need to collect the PVCs.
