FROM : AYODELE AJOGE, BIRNIN-KEBBI.
Authorities of Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kebbi State has disclosed that no fewer thank 67, 317 Permanent Voters Card (PVC) is yet to be collected by their rightful owners in the State.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for the State, Mr. Ahmad Bello Mahmud who disclosed this while fielding questions from Newsmen last weekend stated that the Commission in Kebbi gives PVC out to their rightful owner and not by proxy.
"In those days, we do give PVC to Party Agents, District or Village Heads to give to their people who owns them in their various Villages, but this days, such practices is no longer tenable. You have to come forward and collect by yourself." He said.
He said further that, "we have emphasized this in a lot of forum, workshops etc that distribution of votes cards is no longer there, what we have now is collection, come and collect your own card, don't send anybody."
On the issue of multiple registration, the INEC boss explained that the kind of machines available now is capable of dectecting double registration, pointing out that the new technology have taken care of that, nobody can register more than once.
Mr. Mahmud stressed that registration for PVC is still ongoing, adding that no deadline yet until the event of the Election day, noting that a Court has given an order that INEC should continue registering people until 90 days to the Elections.
"I don't know how we are going to implement this because it is not easy. This is a process and not just to order and enforcement it. That will be very difficult,but it is a process."
He warned that the electorates should not part with their PVC to anybody, no matter the promises of incentives or there about, they made. According to him nobody would be allowed to vote without PVC.
The INEC boss urged political Elites and their surrogates to keep encouraging the Electorates to collect their PVC and keep them under lock and key until the day of Elections.