ASABA/Nigeria: Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Delta State, Rev. Monday Udoh Tom has called on Nigerians to take the collection of Personal Voters Cards (PVCs) as a duty.
The commissioner made the call while on inspection of the ongoing display of the voter register to claim their PVC on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
He bemoaned the poor turnout of voters for the ongoing display of voters register for claims and objections across the state, after the inspection in several local governments across Delta North Senatorial district.
He urged Nigerians to take the exercise as their own saying that the Commission needs the help of our well-meaning Nigerians to reduce mistakes and errors in the voter register for the 2023 elections.
He almost expressed displeasure over the 300, 000 uncollected voters’ cards across the state.
He maintained that the officials of INEC are available at their respective posts to attend to voters in their communities.
According to Rev. Tom- Udoh, ” Today is the fourth day for the display of voters register for claims and objections and we have gone around to see that INEC officials are on the ground to attend to Nigerians but it is unfortunate that people are not really coming out to make use of this space.
Just a few persons have come for their cards across all centers, what they do is wait till it is a day before the closure of PVC collection when they would almost bring down the gate to do so.
The exercise for voters to register on claim and objections would end on Saturday but I am not encouraged by what I am seeing”.
He urged electoral stakeholders and political parties to mobilize their supporters to get their PVCs.
” We have electoral officers in every local government and their duty is to call stakeholders meetings before this kind of exercise and they have done that. It is expected that the stakeholders would take the message back to their immediate Community.
“They also talked to traditional rulers who are opinion molders in the community; we also go on air. We expect elites to talk to their people as well as political parties who are beneficiaries, to urge their followers to get their PVCs. It is not about going to the campaign of 2 million people while only 500 persons have their PVCs. It is not the best.
“We are asking everyone to collaborate with INEC because we are rendering a thankless service. Though we can do it alone, we want others to do what the media is doing. What we want is to see people in their numbers claiming or making objections but no one is making objections.
Maybe people have died but no one is saying these things then we go ahead to print the PVCs for them, It ought not to be so”
He revealed that PVCs registered in 2022 would be available before the end of the year as efforts are made to prevent the disenfranchisement of voters in 2023.
” I am in that state but the National has ensured us that the PVCs registered in 2022 would arrive in Delta by the end of the month. Collection of PVCs would end in a week to the elections” he asserted.
