Nigerians can now obtain their Permanent Voter cards (PVCs) between 12 December and 22 January 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.
The electoral body disclosed this in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, on Friday.
This followed a deliberation with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECS) from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, on several issues including the PVC on Thursday, said Mr Okoye.
He said the Commission has also resolved to devolve PVC collection to the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from 6 January to 15 January 2023.
“After the 15th of January 2023, the exercise will revert to the Local Government Offices of the Commission until the 22nd of January 2023.”
“Those that are unable to collect their PVCs at the Local Government Offices of the Commission can do so at the Registration Areas/Electoral Wards,” he said.
He said individuals can collect their PVCs between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. every day, including Saturdays and Sundays.
“It will be recalled that the Commission held a retreat in Lagos with all the Administrative Secretaries and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECS) from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory from 28th November to 2nd December 2022. At the retreat, the Commission finalised the procedure as well as the timetable for collection of PVCs.),” he said.
“Consequently, the Commission has fixed Monday 12 December 2022 to Sunday 22 January 2023 as the dates for the collection of PVCs in all the 774 Local Government Offices of the Commission throughout the Federation.”
He said all RECs and Electoral Officers (EOs) have been directed to convene a meeting with critical stakeholders in their States and Local Government Areas, to brief them on the modalities for the collection of the PVCs to sensitise the public and ensure seamless exercise.
The stakeholders, according to Mr Okoye, include traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups, community-based organisations and the media.
“Similarly, RECs and EOs have also been directed to set up help desks to assist registrants with complaints about their PVCs or with the PVC collection procedure for immediate redress,” he said.
“The Commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians, especially those who registered as voters or applied for transfer/replacement of their cards from January to July 2022. In making the cards available for collection, the Commission is also working to ensure that the process is simple and hitch-free for Nigerians.”
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
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