Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised registered voters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) not to wait till the last day before collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Gatekeepers News reports that Head of Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Civil societies Liaison Department, FCT INEC, Agnes Akpe gave the advice on Monday in Abuja.
Akpe, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that collection of the PVCs for registered voters in all the six area councils in FCT has started smoothly and everyone is encouraged to go and collect his or her card at the INEC office in his area of residence.
According to her, the collection for those who newly registered in 2022 or applied for a transfer, and replacement of their cards started on Monday, while collection for old PVCs started since.
Akpe said, “After the experience of registration, I will not advise anybody to wait. Now is the time to get PVC. The earlier the better.
“People actually came out very early. The response on the first day to me is actually very impressive. I think it’s a testament to the fact that the people now trust INEC.
“They believe in the credibility of INEC, that INEC has said the votes will count and because the votes will count they will come out to get their PVCs and ensure that their votes count.
“That’s why they are turning out. Otherwise, before it’s a general apathy, nobody is interested, but imagine them staying in the sun, coming out that early. There’s something they want and they’re determined to get it.”
She noted that the commission had put in place measures to make the collection of the PVC smooth and stress free.
Akpe said, “In the first place, we have said it is decentralized to the six area councils. And that’s from Dec. 12 to Jan. 22, 2023.
“But at a point from Jan. 6 to Jan. 15, it will be devolve into the wards, so that people who could not come out can actually have access to get their own cards.
“Then from the Jan. 15, 2023, it will come back to the area councils. So I think we have done that and we have trained our desk officers and PVCs distributing officers. So everything is actually going smoothly.
“The cards have been packaged according to wards and all that, in a way that will make it move smoothly.”
