INEC extends PVC collection till Monday

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has extended deadline for collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards, (PVCs). The exercisr  will now end on Monday.

Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu made the disclosure on Friday while adressing Resident Electoral Commissioners, (REC).

He said his decision was informed “by  calls from Nigerians to review the current process of collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards.”

Professor Yakubu said the collection of PVCs scheduled to end yesterday, (Friday 8th February 2019)  ” is hereby extended nationwide to Monday 11th February 2019. This will include Saturday and Sunday.”

He further disclosed that the collection of PVCs by prospective voters  would now take place from 9am to 6pm daily.

He said: “All State offices are hereby directed to review the procedure for the collection of PVCs and dedicate all the staff of the Local Government offices to the collection process. Staff are enjoined to be civil in attending to citizens and to escalate issues that they cannot immediately resolve to their superiors.”

He restated his resolve “to   continue to take every necessary step to ensure that no registered voter is disenfranchised on account of non-collection of PVCs. Similarly, the Commission is taking urgent steps to address complaints of unavailability of the PVCs of some registered voters before the end the deadline for the collection.

The INEC chairman said after Monday deadline “all uncollected PVCs will be recalled and deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for safe-keeping until after the General Elections when the collection of cards and the continuous registration of voters will resume.