By Emmanuel Oloniruha
AWKA (NAN, CONVERSEER) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 2,769,137 out of 2,802,790 registered voters in Anambra, representing 98.8 per cent collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the Saturday governorship election in the state.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, described the turnout for PVC collection as “a significant achievement” for any election in Nigeria.
He noted that that the commission’s decision to extend the deadline for the collection of the cards across all 326 Registration Areas enabled nearly every eligible voter to obtain their card.
“Following the conclusion of voter registration and a thorough database clean-up, the commission finalised a register of 2,802,790 voters for this election on Sept. 4. Initially, only 63.9 per cent of voters had collected their PVCs.
“To close this gap, INEC extended the PVC collection period from Wednesday, Oct. 29 to Sunday, Nov. 2, ensuring collection centres were open across all 326 Registration Areas (Wards).
“I am delighted to share a success story today: that extension has yielded excellent results. The percentage of collected PVCs to registered voters now stands at an impressive 98.80 per cent.
“This is a significant collection rate for any election in Nigeria, and it sends a clear signal. All uncollected cards will now be safely retrieved and stored at the Central Bank of Nigeria until after the election” he stated.
Amupitan urged all eligible voters to turn out enmass on election day, assuring them of their safety in the election.
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He noted that the historical slide in voter participation in the state remained worrisome, citing that in the 2013 Governorship Election, turnout was only 25.5 per cent (413,005 valid votes from 1,770,125 registered).
“In 2017, it dropped further to 20.10 per cent (422,314 valid votes from 2,364,134 registered). In 2021, the situation deteriorated sharply with a mere 10.27 per cent turnout (241,523 valid votes from 2,466,638 registered).
“Democracy only thrives when citizens actively choose their leaders. I, therefore, urge every person in Anambra to come out and exercise their civic right without fear or favour,” he said.
Amupitan said that the commission was tackling deployment with a rigor that would leave no room for excuses, saying all 5,718 polling units must open simultaneously at 8:30 a.m.
“To demonstrate our unwavering commitment to flawless delivery, four National Commissioners have remained in Anambra to personally supervise the election, supported by ten Resident Electoral Commissioners specially deployed from across the country,” he said.
Amupitan, however, said that registered voters in the six Registration Areas facing some security challenges in Ihiala Local Government would vote safely and securely in the Local Government secretariat, protected by security agencies.
“As a commission, we are determined to deliver an election that is credible, inclusive, transparent, and efficiently executed.
“Anyone attempting violence, vote-buying, intimidation, or ballot interference will face swift, lawful consequences.
“To the voters, you have collected your PVCs, security will protect you, and INEC is ready for you. So, come out on Saturday, vote freely, vote peacefully, vote proudly,” he said.
Responding to questions on the how the commission wanted to address any potential case of misconduct by any ad hoc officer, Amupitan said that riot act had already been read to the participating officers at the Tuesday stakeholders meeting in Awka.
“We stressed that the resident electoral commissioner should own up the system, electoral officers should also own it up, and any case of misconduct will not be tolerated.
“So at the same time, we also promised to reward any local government, any electoral officer that comes up clean and the results are announced on time.
“When voting takes place, we have our own metrics we are going to use as a reward system.
“But on the other hand, anyone that commits any misconduct will be dealt with accordingly,” Amupitan said.
On the FCT Area Council Election, Amupitan reminded political parties participating in the election, that submission of the names of the polling agents and observers for the election would end on Dec. 15.
