CDAC Appeals To INEC Not To Disenfranchise Lagosians

Kazeem Ugbodaga

A call has gone to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure that every eligible voter in Lagos is issued the Permanent Voter’s Card, PVC, ahead the 14 February elections in order to give Lagosians the opportunity to elect a leader of their choice.

Making the appeal was the Chairman, Community Development Advisory Council, CDAC, Alhaji Tajudeen Quadri at the end of a special meeting of the Council on the role of the Community Development Associations (CDAs) in ensuring a hitch free election in the communities.

According to Quadri, CDAC members had gone round and held several meetings with the CDAs on the need for their members to obtain their PVCs to enable them vote during the elections.

He noted that the response from the CDAs was that most of their members were finding it difficult to collect their cards.

While noting that the distribution centres were grossly inadequate to cater for the population of the state, he disclosed that the personnel available at the few centres were also not enough.

He, therefore, charged INEC to further decentralize the distribution centres and enlist additional staff to make the collection of PVC easier for the people.

Quadri also appealed to INEC and President Goodluck Jonathan to put in their best and ensure that nobody is disfranchised by not getting the PVC.

He said it was only when that was done that Lagosians could be sure of having a free and fair election while urging the people not to be discouraged by the challenges, but to go out en-masse to collect their PVCs and exercise their right of electing a government of their choice.