The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Lagos State has revealed that a total number of 953,803 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are yet to be claimed by registrants in the state.
According to the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Olusegun Agbaje, between 2011 and 2022, 6,630, 661 PVCs were received from the National Headquarters of the Commission.
Of this number, he stated, 5,676,858 PVCs have been claimed so far with 953, 803 PVCs remaining unclaimed.
Mr Agbaje gave the statistics at a Stakeholders’ meeting on the collection of Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) with representatives of political parties, Civil Society Organisations, Persons Living With Disabilities and religious leaders on Thursday in Lagos.
Addressing the gathering, Agbaje said, “It is pertinent to note that out of the 6,630,661 PVCs received in the State so far between 2011 and 2021, a total of 5,676,858 have been collected by their owners as at 2nd December 2022 while 953,803 are yet to be collected by their owners.
These uncollected cards and the expected PVCs for the registrants who did fresh registration, transfer or review between January and July 2022 would be available for collection in all INEC offices across the State from next week Monday, that is, 12th December 2022. It is instructive to note that the collection of PVC by proxy will not be allowed and the collection of PVC is free.
Owners of transferred, defaced or other indented PVCs should bring along with them the old PVCs for exchange with new ones.
For the avoidance of doubt, anyone without the PVC cannot vote in the 2023 General Election in line with the Electoral Act 2022. Simply put, “NO PVC, NO VOTING.”
Speaking on the arrangement that has been put in place by the Commission for the collection of unclaimed PVCs, he said, “The Commission has fixed the collection of Permanent Voter Cards between Monday 12th November 2022 and Sunday 22nd January 2023 at the Local Government Area offices of the Commission and between 6th and 15th January 2023 at the RA/ward level.
From the afore-mentioned timelines, collection of PVCs would end on 22nd January 2023 to enable the Commission to compute the Polling Unit by Polling Unit records of PVCs collected to aid her preparations in line with sections 24 (2&3), 47 (3) and 51 (2) of the Electoral Act 2022, in case the margin of lead between the two leading candidates in an election is not in excess of the total number of voters who collected their PVCs in polling units where elections are postponed, voided or not held.
Consequently, all those that are yet to collect their PVCs are to do so within the period and avoid the last-minute rush as the Commission will not extend the collection period.”
He advised all registered voters who are yet to claim their PVCs to do so while urging them to, “participate actively in all the processes leading to the conduct of the 2023 General Election by collecting their PVCs and also coming out en mass to vote for the candidates of their choice on Election Day.”
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