Gombe State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that as at this Sunday, a total of 176,183 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) out of the 280,508 printed by Commission have remained uncollected by the owners barely one month to the 2019 general elections.
The disclosure was made by Gombe State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Umar Ibrahim during an interactive session with traditional as well as religious leaders in the state.
The REC stated that in response to calls by the relevant stakeholders for the decentralization of the distribution of the PVCs from the Local Government INEC Offices and to ease the rigours of long distance, the Commission recently approved the collection of the PVCs at the Registration Areas or Wards from effective from the 14th to 21st January 2019.
Alhaji Umar Ibrahim therefore appealed to the traditional and religious leaders who both met with him at different times to call on their subjects and followers to visit their Registration Areas or Wards for the collection of the PVC’s before 21st January or go back to INEC Local Government offices to collect them after the date.
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He also emphasized that the PVCs remain the only valid instrument for participation in the election adding that the Commission will temporarily suspend the collection of the PVC’s on 8th January, 2019 for the general elections.
While responding on behalf of the traditional rulers, the Emir of Akko, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Atiku, assured that the elections will be peaceful going by the peaceful campaigns already being experienced and promised to mobilize their subjects to collect the PVCs.
The Emir further said that they will continue to enlighten their people and urged religious leaders to double their efforts too. He also assured that they will continue to work in synergy with all stakeholders for the success of the elections.
During their own session, Secretary of the Gombe State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the representative of the Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI) said that they were already enlightening their followers on the importance of collecting their PVCs and the peaceful conduct before, during and after the general elections.
