With just seven weeks remaining until the November 11 governorship election in Imo State, a significant challenge looms as approximately 134,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Owerri, Prof. Sylvia Agu, told journalists on Wednesday.
Prof. Agu revealed that INEC resumed the issuance of PVCs for the election on September 11, with the exercise set to continue until October 9.
She explained that these uncollected PVCs are currently stored in the 27 local government council secretariats across the state.
To address this challenge, Prof. Agu urged Imo residents to collect their PVCs from INEC offices in their respective council areas.
Residents of Orsu Local Government Area were directed to collect their PVCs at the state office in Owerri.
Furthermore, INEC has established additional collection centers for Registration Areas with more than 1,000 uncollected PVCs.
Prof. Agu emphasized that PVCs cannot be collected by proxy and must be exchanged with Temporary Voter Cards. INEC has also taken measures to notify owners of uncollected PVCs in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi by sending bulk SMS messages to their registered phone numbers.
The upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi States on November 11 are significant, and INEC is committed to conducting a credible, free, and fair election. The electoral body assured that all non-sensitive materials have been received and will be appropriately distributed to the various local government areas.
Additionally, the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, led by the police, is working to ensure the security of the election.