The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo State is gearing up to distribute approximately 373,030 uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) starting May 27. The state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, announced this during a stakeholders’ meeting in Benin on Thursday, alongside plans for the forthcoming Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
The PVC distribution will coincide with the CVR exercise, both scheduled to commence on May 27. This initiative precedes the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, as announced by INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu.
Dr. Onuoha disclosed that out of the 2,501,081 registered voters in Edo, only 2,128,288 PVCs have been collected, leaving 373,030 uncollected. The 10-day exercise, running from May 27 to June 5, will operate from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily, including weekends, across the 192 wards and INEC state headquarters in Edo.
Each registration center will be staffed by two officials from INEC and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Dr. Onuoha emphasized that PVCs must be collected in person, with no option for proxy collection due to time constraints.
He called upon the media, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), traditional rulers, and religious leaders to assist in encouraging voters to retrieve their PVCs. Additionally, the final list of candidates for the Edo governorship election has been published following the conclusion of political parties’ primaries.
During the stakeholders’ meeting, Mrs. Doris Kande-Wyom, Deputy Director of Voter Registry at INEC Abuja, briefed attendees on the CVR processes and urged them to mobilize prospective registrants for the exercise.
The meeting was attended by political party chairpersons, religious and traditional leaders, security agencies, and CSOs.