The leadership of INEC Press Corps, IPC, in Delta State on Wednesday called on Deltans to come out en-masse to collect their Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs.
The call followed the release of the PVCs of Nigerians who took part in the 2022 voter registration conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Chairman of IPC, Olorogun Festus Ahon in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the group, Mr Austin Oyinbode, which was made available to Journalists in Delta, said for Nigerians to achieve the desired change, every registered voter must go to the local government and wards to collect the PVC.
Ahon in the statement said: “There have been series of million man Marches and campaigns in progress. Many are expressing their views on the need for change in Nigeria. But this change will only come to fruition if registered voters collect their PVCs and cast their votes on election days.
“INEC has scheduled election for February 25, 2023, for Presidency and National Assembly and March 11 for Governorship and state Assemblies. For Nigerians to get the right persons into political offices, registered voters must collect their PVCs and vote.”
The statement also noted that politicians and political party leaders should encourage their members and supporters to go out and collect their PVCs because, without the collection of the PVCs and voting, the desired change will remain an illusion.
To this end, the IPC Chairman called on all Deltans and Nigerians, in general, to wake up and see the collection of PVCs as the beginning of a change in Nigeria.
Ahon said that though everyone is busy with business ventures, “They should all endeavour to create time out of their busy schedules and go to the INEC local government offices and collect their PVCs.
He also pleaded with INEC staff at the local government and ward levels to assist the people in whatever ways they can so that everyone will collect their PVCs without stress.
The Delta INEC REC, Revd. Monday Udoh Tom expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the people of Delta and the political parties towards the collection of the permanent voters’ cards in the state.
In a recent stakeholders meeting organised by INEC, the Delta REC lamented the poor response of Deltans and the leadership of political parties to attend meetings with INEC and the collection of PVCs.
He said despite the fact that INEC staff are doing a thankless job across the state, the people of Delta state are not coming forth to collect their PVCs. He said that more than 300,000 PVCs are lying at the INEC offices across the state waiting for their owners to collect them.
