.jpeg "Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo PVC collection resumes with INEC's approval.")
According to the Commission, the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be made accessible for retrieval at the offices located in each Local Government area within the three aforementioned States. Specifically, there will be eight offices in Bayelsa, twenty-seven offices in Imo, and twenty-one offices in Kogi.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by Sam Olumekun, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the ongoing exercise is limited to the three states where Governorship elections are scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 11th, 2023.
The Commission has additionally established additional designated centers to cater to local governments experiencing a significant quantity of uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
According to Olumekun, the Resident Electoral Commissioners in the three States would provide the necessary information regarding the centers.
According to his statement, the Commission has granted approval for the resumption of the collection of Permanent Voters' Cards (PVCs) for registered voters who were unable to retrieve their PVCs prior to the suspension of the exercise on February 5th, 2023, in preparation for the upcoming off-cycle Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States.
According to Olumekun, it has been designated by the Commission that weekdays, specifically Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9:00am and 3:00pm, will be allocated for the retrieval of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) over a span of four weeks, commencing from September 11th to October 9th, 2023.
In the meanwhile, Olumekun has reported the redeployment of two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to different states.
It has been observed that Mr. Obo Effanga, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Edo State, will assume the role of REC in Bayelsa State in anticipation of the upcoming off-cycle governorship election. Additionally, Professor Ayobami Salami will be transferred from Ekiti State to Lagos.
As per his statement, the two states are among the jurisdictions that do not have Regional Electoral Commissions (RECs) subsequent to the conclusion of the previous officeholders' terms.
The Commission has issued a call to all political parties and candidates, urging them to engage in peaceful conduct and refrain from making statements or engaging in actions that have the potential to incite violence during their ongoing campaigns.