315,000 PVCs Yet To Be Collected In Kwara

By Steve Oni, Ilorin

A total number of 315,000 permanent voter cards (PVC) are yet to be claimed by registered voters since 2015 till date in Kwara state.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Correspondents’
Chapel of the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the weekend, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Alhaji Garba Madami, said that only 160,000 eligible voters had so far registered since commencement of the voter registration exercise in the state up till date.

The INEC commissioner, who said that 1.2 million eligible voters are expected from the state for the 2019 general elections, added that strategy had been mapped out to address poor registration of voters.

He said that part of the strategies was to deploy officers to villages and rural areas of the state to register eligible voters as against local government headquarters where registration points were.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, who said that Kwara state would be the cynosure of all eyes during the 2019 general elections, judged by political actors, recent defections and number of aspirants in the state, added that his mission was to achieve free, fair and credible conduct of polls, that would be applauded by all stakeholders.

He advised people to shun violence, saying that they should not see the coming election as a do-or-die affair.

“No politician is worth dying for. We should all join hands to sustain and maintain peace and harmony that this state has been known for. This is more so because there’s nothing that can be achieved without peaceful environment”, he said.

Reacting to complaints over alleged political and religious discrimination by some INEC officials at some registration centres in the state, the INEC boss said that such acts would not be tolerated, adding that the reports would be investigated.

He also said that measures to contain anxiety over registration or collection of PVC by enthusiastic eligible voters had been mapped out, assuring that there would be improvement.