19th August, 2024
By Jethro Ibileke
Ahead of the 21 September governorship election in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has set dates for the collection of permanent voter cards.
The National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced this at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja on Monday.
According to him, prospective voters who completed their registration are expected to pick their cards in all the 192 wards in the state between Thursday, 22 August to Monday, 26 August, 2024.
He said: “I am glad to report that all the cards have been printed and delivered to our office in Benin City. From there, they have been handed over to our Electoral Officers (EOs) for collection by voters.
“To ensure a seamless process, the cards will be available for collection in all the 192 Wards in the State where the last CVR took place from Thursday 22nd August 2024 to Monday 26th August 2024 from 9.00am to 5.00pm daily including the weekend.
“Thereafter, the collection will continue in our 18 Local Government offices across the State from Wednesday 28th August 2024 to Sunday 8th September 2024 from 9.00am to 5.00pm, including the weekends.
“Detailed information on the dates and location of the 210 centres (192 Wards and 18 LGA offices) has been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.”
Mahmood also disclosed that the Commission has developed a register containing, among other information, the names and photographs of the 184,438 voters to ease the collection of their PVCs.
“The register has also been uploaded to our website (https://inecnigeria.org/?page_id=13804) to facilitate easy identification and collection of the cards,” he said.
The INEC chairman reminded registered voters of the Commission’s policy that PVCs must be personally collected by registered voters has not changed.
“The cards will not be distributed or collected by proxy so that they do not end up in the wrong hands.
“We urge voters who took their time to register during the CVR to also take time to collect their PVCs in person and, most importantly, to come out on election day and vote for the party of their choice,” he added.
