TheCable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has moved the collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs) to the 8,809 registration areas/wards across the country.

The commission had, in December, fixed December 12 to January 22 for the collection of PVCs in all the 774 LGAs.

INEC had at the time said it would devolve PVC collection to the 8,809 registration areas/wards from January 6 to January 15, 2023, after which the exercise will revert to the LGA offices until January 22 when the process will end.

In a statement signed by Festus Okoye, national commissioner and chairman, information and voter committee, INEC called on all eligible registrants to collect their PVCs from registration areas from Friday.

“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 statement reads.

“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.”

The commission also announced that the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja will serve as the national situation room and collation centre for the 2023 general election.

INEC said it has, therefore, established two committees.

The first is the collation secretariat committee, which will be responsible for the collation of presidential results from the states, and the committee will be chaired by Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, who will be assisted by a few technical staff.

The second is the situation room and collation centre committee, which will be responsible for the preparation of the venue, seating arrangement, utilities and services, security, the accreditation of party agents, national and international observers, and the media.

Members include May Agbamuche-Mbu, national commissioner who will serve as chairperson; as well as Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, national commissioner; and Festus Okoye, national commissioner.