The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said it would commence devolution of collection of Permanent Voters Cards to eligible registrants, effective from Friday, January 6th to Sunday 15th January 2023.
The National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, made the disclosure on Thursday in a statement.
He said that collection of the PVC commenced last December at the 774 Local Government Areas across the country.
Okoye recalled that the decision to devolve the collection of the voting item at Registration Areas/Wards was taken at a retreat held last December in Lagos, with all the Administrative Secretaries and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory in attendance.
The INEC National Commissioner enjoined all validly registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs, “To seize the opportunity of the devolution to the wards to do so.
After the 15th of January 2023, the exercise will revert to the Local Government Offices of the Commission until the 22nd of January, 2023. All eligible and valid registrants can collect their PVCs from 9.00am to 3.00pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.
’’All those that applied for replacement of lost, damaged, or defaced PVCs can collect their PVCs at the Registration Area/wards during this period and the same thing applies to those that registered prior to the 2019 general election and are yet to collect their cards.
“The PVCs of those that applied for transfer are available for collection in the Local Governments and Registration Areas where they intend to vote and not in the State or Local Government where they carried out the transfer’’.
The Commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians who trooped to our various Local Government Offices to collect their PVCs. In making the cards available for collection, the Commission is also working to ensure that the process is simple and hitch-free for Nigerians.
Tribune/Olusola Akintonde
