The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proudly announced the successful production of 184,438 permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) for newly registered voters and other specified categories, gearing up for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Edo State.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu made this announcement during a press briefing in Abuja today.
The electoral body has outlined the scheduled dates for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, set for September 21, 2024, and November 16, 2024, respectively.
During an assembly of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja, Yakubu highlighted that the focus of the meeting was on these two governorship elections alongside seven pending bye-elections.
He stated, “Today’s gathering is timely as we approach two off-cycle governorship elections. The Edo and Ondo states elections are imminent, and we also need to address the seven vacancies in the National and State Assemblies across six states.”
Yakubu elaborated that after the recent Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) concluded in both Edo and Ondo states, the commission has shared the new registration statistics following the cleanup of the voter register.
For Edo State alone, 119,206 new voters have been registered. Additionally, 8,847 voters have transferred their registrations from other states to Edo, while 46,171 have moved their registrations within the state.
As per legal requirements, the commission updated records for 4,808 voters who requested corrections to their names, addresses, or dates of birth from prior registrations, and replaced 5,406 lost or damaged PVCs.
In total, the commission has catered to 184,438 voters of different categories during the latest CVR in Edo State, with plans to distribute new PVCs accordingly, Yakubu confirmed.
He noted that all cards have been printed and dispatched to the INEC office in Benin City, where they will be handed over to Electoral Officers (EOs) for distribution.
To ensure a seamless process, these cards will be available for collection at all 192 wards in the state where the final CVR was conducted. The collection window is set from Thursday, August 22, 2024, to Monday, August 26, 2024, operating daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, including weekends.
Yakubu added that the collection process will further expand to include 18 local government offices across the state, starting Wednesday, August 28, 2024, and ending Sunday, September 8, 2024, maintaining the same operational hours.
“Comprehensive details regarding the dates and locations of the 210 collection centers (192 Wards and 18 LGA offices) have been made available on our website and social media for public awareness,” he stated.
Moreover, a register containing essential information such as the names and photographs of the 184,438 voters has been created to facilitate the PVC collection process.
Yakubu reiterated the commission’s policy that PVCs must be collected personally by registered voters, emphasizing that no proxy collection is allowed to prevent misdelivery.
“We encourage voters who registered during the CVR to make the effort to collect their PVCs personally and, importantly, to participate in the elections by voting for their preferred party,” he urged.
Additionally, as part of the election preparations for Edo State, a softcopy of the finalized and comprehensive voter register will be distributed to each political party intending to nominate candidates for the election, set for Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
In terms of the PVC collection for the Ondo state off-cycle governorship election, Yakubu indicated that the commission is in the process of formulating a collection plan for voters throughout the state.
He reassured Ondo State citizens that appropriate measures are being put in place to guarantee the availability of their PVCs for the forthcoming November 2024 election.
“Details regarding the PVC collection for all categories of voters from the recent CVR in Ondo will be announced soon,” Yakubu concluded.
