By Stanley Nwanosike
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has concluded arrangements to move its staff to the 260 wards in Enugu State to distribute 405,000 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
“We are going to move over 500 personnel, comprising 400 staff and over 40 corps members to these wards,’’ the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Emeka Ononamadu, said in Enugu on Tuesday.
Ononamadu said that the direct distribution in wards would commence on Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and last for six days.
He said that with the co-operation of the electorate, it is expected that the state would have 1.9 million PVC holders and potential voters at the end of the latest PVC distribution.
The REC explained that the exercise became necessary to get the uncollected PVCs closer to the people.
“INEC will also do statewide sensitisation towards the weekend. We will engage town criers and mobile public address system in each community and council areas to reach the people.
“We have discussed with traditional rulers on this so that they also help in mobilising their subjects to come out en masse to collect their PVCs.
“On our own part, we have made adequate security arrangements to protect our staff and the PVCs during the exercise.”
Ononamadu said that the PVCs would not be collected by proxy, stressing that each person must collect his or her card in person.
On the recent official published INEC register handed over to , the REC said that it was promised fulfilled by the commission.
He noted that INEC had kept faith with its commitment to Nigerians by following religiously the electoral time-table, citing the official handing over of the voters’ register to the national chairmen of the 91 political parties.
He further explained that the national chairmen of the various political parties were expected to make it available to their various chairmen at the state, zonal, council and ward levels.
“This shows INEC’s readiness for a successful, hitch-free and credible election,” Ononamadu said. (NAN)
