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Tag: pvcs

  • INEC says collection of PVCs’ continues in Edo

    INEC says collection of PVCs’ continues in Edo

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Edo office, said collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at ward levels continues across the state.

    Mr Emmanuel Alex-Hart, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, made the disclosure in Benin on Tuesday.

    He explained this when he presented INEC’s 50 plastic chairs and a public address system to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo council in Benin.

    Alex-Hart said ‘‘although the number of days approved for the display of voters’ register and collection of PVCs in various wards and units has ended, we decided to extend the collection of PVCs aspect of the exercise at wards levels.

    ‘‘The efforts are to bring the PVCs closer to the people ahead of the 2019 general elections for collection,” he said.

    According to him, there were no complaints from the field during the display of voters’ register which ended on Nov. 12, adding that it was a pointer that all was well.

    The state resident electoral commissioner appealed to the media to, at all times, balanced their stories before publication.

    ‘‘Please if you do not understand anything contact us, so that we can give you our side to balance your reports. Do not just publish without hearing from us,” he said,

    Mr Roland Osakwe, the NUJ, Edo Council Chairman, thanked INEC for the commission’s donation to the union.

    He gave assurance that journalists would continue to partner with the commission’s officials for peaceful and credible elections in 2019.

     

  • Over 1.5m PVCs collected in Edo

    Over 1.5m PVCs collected in Edo

    A total of 1,519,350 Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) have been collected by registered voters in Edo ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Mr Emmanuel Alex-Hart, he Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Emmanuel Alex-Hart, disclosed this to newsmen in Benin.

    Alex-Hart said that the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) office in Benin received 1,992,826 PVCs from the commission’s headquarters for registered voters in the state.

    He said that the figure received from the commission’s headquarters represented the total registered number of voters in the state from 2011 to date.

    The REC however said 473,476 PVCs had yet to be collected by their owners in the state.

    According to him, the continued voter education and sensitisation by INEC was yielding results in the state, adding that registered voters’ turnout for PVC collection was impressive.

    Alex–Hart further said that the commission had also commenced the sensitisation of eligible voters and all the stakeholders against vote buying.

    ”To achieve this, we have started sanitising the electorate through the churches, motor parks and worship centres among others.

    ”The commission has also given the responsibility to apprehend and prosecute whoever that is caught buying votes during elections,” he said.

     

  • Nigerians are good at suffering and smiling- IK Ogbonna

    Nigerians are good at suffering and smiling- IK Ogbonna

     

    Nigerians have shown the capacity to withstand pains and poverty in the weirdest circumstances.

    Nollywood actor, IK Ogbonna has shared his views on the state of the nation. The award winning actor and model noted that Nigerians deserve what they are crying about at the moment.

    “Now we are all crying, I think we are only getting what we deserve, we are all crying about what is happening in the country. If we all came out and actively participated to decide the fate of this country, then we will be smiling today,” he said in a chat with Pulseng

    Speaking on the need for Nigerians to get their PVCs he said the people who decide the fate of Nigerians are the ones going out to vote.

    “So we got to realize that the people who actually decide the fate of Nigerians are the ones that have been bribed because the people who have been bribed are the ones going out to vote. You that have the opinion that you feel like you know what is best for Nigeria, you are in your house hoping that the right decision is made. So when you see the ratio of how many people have PVCs as to those voting, it is not balancing. If you see the number of eligible Nigerians and the number of those that go to vote, it is not balancing. So what happened to the rest number of people who were supposed to have voted

    “Everyone should come out, Fela says suffering and smiling that’s how it is. Nigerians are the best people…we are so good at suffering and smiling, as something is hurting us we just wear a smile on our face. I have never seen anybody like Nigerians in my life, you know. It’s a different ball game altogether. At the end of the day, how long do we want to keep suffering and smiling? So let’s come out and get our PVCs because without the PVC we cannot vote,” he concluded.

  • INEC plans house to house distribution of PVCs

    INEC plans house to house distribution of PVCs

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will soon embark on house to house distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to owners in Kogi.

    TheNewsGuru reports Prof. James Akpam, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) announced this on Wednesday in Lokoja during meeting with leaders of political parties, civil society organisations, security chiefs, media and other groups.

    He said that 293,340 PVCs remained uncollected in the state, saying that the move was to ensure that the cards got to the owners before the general elections.

    Akpam said that distribution would cover the 248 wards in the state, adding that the itinerary for the distribution of the cards was being worked out by INEC and other stakeholders.

    The REC revealed that 251,639 new voters were registered in the state from July 2017 to July 2018, noting that the newly registered persons included 129,643 females and 121,996 males.

    He explained that the commission issued 59,627 PVCs to their owners and replaced 12,661 lost, damaged or defaced PVCs.

    The commissioner said that the INEC office in Lokoja had taken delivery of printed 112,323 cards on behalf of newly registered voters, saying that only 18,887 of the cards were collected by their owners.

    According to him, the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration will end on Aug. 7 until after the 2019 general election elections.

    He, however, stated that the issuance of PVCs would continue until a week before the 2019 general elections.

    He said that INEC staff would work extra hours, including weekends and holiday periods to cope with the anticipated surge in the number of eligible voters who would want to register.

    On the forthcoming bye-election to fill the vacant Lokoja/Kogi Federal constituency, the REC said that the election would hold on Aug. 11, and that voting and accreditation of voters would hold simultaneously.

    Those at the meeting were unanimous in their demand that INEC should not allow vote buying and should create level playing ground for contestants.

    They also warned against excesses of security agents and demanded that officials and election materials should arrive early at polling stations on the election day.

     

  • Delta: INEC receives 168,402 PVCs for collection

    Delta: INEC receives 168,402 PVCs for collection

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Delta said it has received 168,402 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for collection by residents of the state.

    Mrs Rose Orianran-Anthony, the Administrative Secretary of INEC in Delta, said that the figures included those that applied for transfer within the state and outside.

    She said that the commission had fixed May 21 for the collection of the PVCs for those who registered in the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR).

    Orianran-Anthony said that the commission was not distributing PVCs but people were to come forward to collect.

    She, however, said that the commission had a total of 152,239 uncollected PVCs in the state.

    She expressed her displeasure over the uncollected PVCs stressing that INEC had to overcome several challenges before the PVCs could be produced.

    Orianran-Anthony said that it was discouraging that after going through the process the PVCs were left unclaimed.

    She appealed to the residents of the state to come forward for their PVCs, adding that it was their power to vote and they should use it wisely.

    The Administrative Secretary also said that 30 new machines had been deployed in the state to enhance the registration process.

    She said that 2019 election was exactly 274 days away from now and the commission was already in election mood as numerous pre-election activities had commenced.

     

  • 2019: Registered voters to get PVCs nationwide from May 21 – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for citizens who registered in the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) between April and December 2017 will be ready for collection on May 21.

    The commission disclosed this in a statement by its Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi in Abuja on Friday.

    Mr Osaze-Uzzi said the decision was reached on May 10 when the commission met in Abuja.

    This, according to Osaze-Uzzi, includes registered citizens who applied for transfers and replacement of their lost PVCs within the said period.

    He added that “such persons are to report at the INEC Local Government Offices and other designated registration centres nationwide with their Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) to collect their PVCs.’’

    He assured Nigerians who registered in the ongoing CVR that their PVCs would be ready for collection in good time before the 2019 general elections.

    For further enquiries, Mr Osaze-Uzzi advised citizens to contact the nearest INEC office or INEC Citizens Contact Centre (ICCC), twitter handle, facebook and website.

    The Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, had on May 3 disclosed that the commission had taken delivery of four million PVCs for distribution to the electorate registered in 2017.

    Mr Yakubu said the PVCs would be delivered to states for onward distribution to their owners in the next few days.

    He had earlier promised that the PVCs for Nigerians who registered during the CVR would be ready for collection in May.

  • 2019: Declare public holidays for collection of PVCs – Tinubu tells FG

    2019: Declare public holidays for collection of PVCs – Tinubu tells FG

    Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu on Sunday urged the Federal Government to declare public holidays for collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), ahead of the December 2018 deadline.

    Oluremi, in a statement in Lagos, said that the PVCs were the tools to participating in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

    She also urged residents in the state to ensure that they collect their PVCs.

    The call sequel to revelations by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that over seven million PVCs were yet to be collected nationwide, with one million and four hundred thousand from Lagos State.

    It would be recalled that prior to the 2015 elections, INEC had introduced the use of smart card readers. This has necessitated issuance of PVCs as part of the identification and authentication process.

    After the 2015 elections, about 12 million PVCs had remained in the electoral body’s custody.

    ”With previous elections, Nigerians developed voter apathy due to a distrust of the system.

    ” The 2015 elections taught us, however, that as individuals, our votes count. Thus, we must rise up as citizens to fulfill our civic responsibility and ensure accountability in governance,” she said.

    Towards the 2019 elections, INEC had released modalities for ongoing continuous voter registration. The centres open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

    Tinubu pleaded that the period should be extended; and should include weekends to allow people who were unable to visit the centres during work hours to do so at weekends.

    She said INEC should ensure that it had adequate resources to make the process quick and easy.

    She also called for increased voter education and sensitisation to achieve the desire results.

  • Don’t give your husband sex if he doesn’t have PVC- Fela Durotoye tells Nigerian women

    Don’t give your husband sex if he doesn’t have PVC- Fela Durotoye tells Nigerian women

    Presidential aspirant and Chief Executive Officer of the GEMSTONE Group, Fela Durotoye has urged married Nigerian women to deny their husbands who do not have permanent voter’s card (PVC) sex.

     

    He simply told wives to ‘lock up’ their husbands who don’t have their PVCs by July 1, 2018, while advising young single women to ignore young men wooing men them who don’t have their PVC.

    Durotoye made this known as a guest speaker at The Platform in Lagos on Tuesday.

    According to him:“We need to get our PVCs. PVC is not a nice thing to have, it’s a need thing to have if you want a future that you can choose. In fact, for me PVC is not just permanent voter’s card, it’s the power to vote your choice.

     

    “I have started a little movement where I’m asking every young lady to insist on asking any toaster for their PVC first. No PVC, no toasting.

     

    “More than that, I’m working to collaborate with a few key people to ensure that every married woman whose husband does not have a PVC by July 1st, they’ll lock up. No PVC, no jangilova “.

    The leadership consultant declared his intention to run in the 2019 presidential election on the 22nd of February 2019.

     

    #ThePlatformNg:Buhari calls Nigerians lazy but spends more time in hospital than in office – Moghalu

  • INEC announces date for collection of new PVCs

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to newly-registered voters will commence early in May.

    INEC National Commissioner in charge of Ondo, Ogun and Lagos States, Adekunle Ogunmola, disclosed this at the sidelines of South-West Zonal Workshop on Women Participation in Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and Collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    The workshop, which held in Lagos, was organised by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECEC) and had Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in attendance.

    The event centred on the role of CSOs in mobilising women for ongoing CVR and collection of the PVCs.

    Mr Ogunmola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that INEC was determined to register all eligible voters before the 2019 general elections to enable them perform their civic responsibility.

    “We have announced that from the second week of May, the new registrants will be collecting their PVCs.

    “In fact, most of the new PVCs have been sent to the states; we hope that by the second week of May, we will start the distribution.”

    He expressed concerned about the uncollected 1.4 million PVCs in Lagos state, noting that the commission was trying to employ other strategies to ensure that most of the cards were collected.

    The INEC commissioner said the commission was making efforts to get the Voter Identification Number (VIN) of the people involved, get their addresses and published their names on INEC website.

    He said that state governments had resolved to assist the commission to publish the names of the owners of the unclaimed PVCs.

    According to him, voter apathy, lack of adequate sensitisation and societal issues have been identified as reasons for low participation of women in the electoral process.

    Mr Ogunmola urged the CSOs and other stakeholders to support the commission in sensitising and mobilising the people for the collection of PVCs.

    On his part, David Le Notre, Project Director/Senior Electoral Expert, ECES, said that women, who constituted about half of the population must be carried along in every facet of the development.

  • 2019: Lagos commences massive mobilization of residents for PVCs

    …Translates Eight Laws Into Yoruba, Egun, Pidgin Languages, To Work On Six Others

    The Lagos State Government on Friday said adequate arrangements have been firmed up to massively mobilize residents for the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) to enable them fully participate in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

    Speaking at the annual Ministerial Press Briefing to mark the third year anniversary of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Mr. Benjamin Olabinjo said it was important for residents to utilize the opportunity of the ongoing continuous voters’ registration to obtain their PVCs.

    He said aside the need for residents who recently attained voting age to register, it was also necessary for those who relocated to the State or from one part of the State to another to apply for transfer, and thereby have the opportunity of electing leaders of their choice in the next political dispensation.

    Fielding questions from journalists, Olabinjo said: “On the issue of PVC, we are trying our possible best to ensure that we achieve our aim. For instance, as a result of the development we are bringing to all parts of Lagos State, people are now relocating from one part of the State to the other and there is need to also sensitize people in such category to apply for transfer of their PVCs.

    “We are all aware that the Governor recently commissioned 21 roads and two bridges in Alimosho and those who hitherto have undeveloped properties in the affected communities but living in Surulere and others areas are now developing their properties and moving back.

    “As we speak, we are working to ensure that people in such category get the transfer of their PVCs as well as those who are yet to register to do so for them to participate in the election,” he said.

    Olabinjo, who admitted that it was true that Lagos had the highest number of uncollected PVCs, however, expressed optimism in the fact that the ongoing advocacy by the State Government through his office would ensure considerable reduction in the figure.

    “We have been sensitizing residents in all our programmes that it is important for them to obtain their PVCs. We have all been saying that Governor Ambode is doing well and the only way to appreciate the Governor for the massive transformation of the State in all sectors and sections is for residents to get their PVCs to support him to continue the good works,” he said.

    On the activities of his office, Olabinjo said a total of eight bills passed into law by the Lagos State House of Assembly were simplified and translated into Yoruba, Egun and Pidgin languages to facilitate easy understanding and voluntary compliance, while efforts are ongoing to translate additional six new laws.

    He said in the last three years, a total of N254.750million was disbursed to 2,046 beneficiaries genuinely needing financial assistant to handle health challenges, multiple birth and other unforeseen situations including road accidents and fire disasters, while a total of 119 petitions were successfully resolved arising from complaints from individuals, groups and communities.

    Besides, Olabinjo said his office also embarked on enlightenment programmes to create awareness and mobilize support for government programmes and policies in the areas of housing, wealth creation and employment, disability policy of the State, Ibile Youth Academy, Property Protection Law, Kidnapping Prohibition Law, as well as Environmental Management and Protection Law, among others.

    2019: Lagos commences massive mobilization of residents for PVCs

    Giving the outlook for the year, Olabinjo said: “Our Office, in the course of the year, will intensify efforts at accomplishing the following: enlightenment of Lagosians on new laws assented to by the Governor in 2018; translation and simplification of new laws to Yoruba, Egun and Pidgin; enlightenment of the citizenry on the need for peaceful electioneering in the State; facilitation of executive/legislative joint discussion on issues that would enhance an effective delivery of dividends of democracy; constant engagement of individuals, groups and organizations on complaints and petitions, among others.”