Ogun has over 650,000 uncollected PVCs — REC
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
The newly posted Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ogun State, Mr Olaniyi Ijalaye has lamented the issue of voter apathy in the state saying that out of a total 1,126,247 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) printed for the state till date, a heap of 651,500 PVCs are still left unclaimed.
Mr Olaniyi Ijalaye disclosed that it is on record that the level of political participation in electoral process has continued to decline each election year in the state appealing to the political parties and media to help sensitise members of public to go to INEC offices across the 20 local governments to pick up their PVCs as this would help them to perform their civic rights during elections.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner stated this on Wednesday when he met with the political parties and journalists in the state.
Ijalaye also urged the political parties as well as the media to help in mobilising residents of the state to take the advantage of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to register as voters so as to be able to exercise their civic right in the 2023 general election and subsequent ones.
He revealed further that though, the state had in the past performed poorly in the ongoing CVR exercise registering only 22,167 as at November last year but that there has however been a tremendous improvement from then saying that as at Monday, March 21, the state has completed 85,600 registration.
This success story, the REC hinged on the movement of the enrollment machines by INEC to electoral wards saying that this only confirmed readiness and desire of the election umpire to ensure that every eligible Nigerian is captured ahead of 2023 general elections.
He disclosed further that, from Monday, March 26 to Friday, April 1, 2023, in line with Section 19 of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended, INEC will display the register of new voters captured during the just ended quarter, that is those voters registered between Monday, January 3 to Tuesday, March 22 at its offices across the 20 local governments for claims and objections.
Ijalaye said that this display of register would enable the public assist the Commission to identify those who are ineligible to register such as foreigners, Nigerians that are yet to be 18 years, those that have died among others.
He said the exercise would help INEC to do some cleaning of its register before adding up new registrants after which their PVCs would be printed.
Ijalaye disclosed that the fourth quarter of the CVR will commence on Monday, April 11 and that INEC during this period would rotate its enrollment device throughout the 236 registration areas with particular attention on the newly created 1,832 Polling Units. This he said was to ensure that these polling units are quite populated as any polling unit with less than 50 registrants may be cancelled.
The REC equally used the medium to call on the political parties in the state to follow rule of law, maintain internal democracy and conduct a rancour free party primaries and congresses as preparation for the 2023 general elections hots up.
He urged political parties to take practical steps towards putting a stop to the era where the judiciary help to determine who wins elections advising them to always take the advantage of the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism of INEC to resolve some of their issues rather than going to court.
Ijalaye assured that the Commission’s commitment to conduct free, fair and credible elections in Ogun State remained not in doubt calling for the cooperation and support of other stakeholders to continue to deepen the tenets of democracy in the country.
