The distribution of Permanent Voter Cards by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) entered its second day yesterday across the country, as voters expressed frustrations at the lateness of materials, non-distribution of PVCs as well as shortage, among others.
Meanwhile, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA); Partners for Electoral Reform (PER) and Youth Alliance on Constitution & Electoral Reform (YACORE) released an initial report on the Phase 11 distribution of the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) by INEC in Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kwara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Oyo, Delta, Cross rivers and the FCT.
Late commencement in several states such as Oyo State; rowdy process in polling units with large number of registered voters and undue interference of party agents, among others, were described as some of the challenges that faced the exercise.
For instance, in Afikpo South 03, Emekwe Unit, Ebonyi State, the assistance rendered by a former councillor and party member to the distribution officer led to a fracas, the report said.
There was also displeasure at the Army Barracks, Iwo Road in Ward 11 of Ibadan North-East Local Government, where only a little above 100 PVCs were available in a unit of about 297 registrants and others told to register afresh, with the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Mr Kehinde Salawu, complaining about the development.
“INEC needs to improve on what we saw yesterday so as not to disenfranchise the people or make them lose confidence in the commission,” the Oyo PDP stated, calling on its members to troop out to collect their PVCs “as that is the most important tool to liberate the state.”
Sunday Tribune findings revealed that the exercise was also marred by shortage of attestation forms for those whose PVCs were found but could not produce their temporary voter cards as well as incident reporting forms for those who had temporary voter cards.
The report, signed by Head, Research, Policy & Advocacy, YIAGA, Samson Itodo; chair, Partners for Electoral Reform, Ezenwa Nwagwu and National Coordinator, YACORE, Abdulrahman, also stated that the distribution exercise was not conducted in several polling units across the 12 states, as registered voters turned back in disappointment due to the non-availability of distribution officers at the polling units.
Speaking on the exercise, the INEC representative in Polling Unit 22, Ward 9 of Ibadan North-East Local Government, a National Youth Corps member who identified himself as Odesanmi Bukunmi, stated that out of the 495 PVCs in his unit, less than half had been collected, noting that he was not sure if there would be an extension.
In Oorelope and Atisbo Local Governments of Oyo State, among others, the exercise was said to have gone smoothly in many wards but for the reported cancellation of Ward 2 and Ward 6 of the former, where fresh registrations were to be conducted.
Meanwhile, former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, has protested the cancellation of the collection of permanent voter cards in seven of the 10 wards in Ogbomoso North Local Government by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), calling on the commission to offer full explanation to the people as to why it took the decision.
According to Alao-Akala, speaking through his media aide, Mr A.B. Ojo, the action was capable of putting INEC’s capability to conduct free and fair elections to question, as the alleged loss of data in the affected wards could portray INEC as working with some groups of people to manipulate the electoral process.
“INEC needs to give detailed explanations on the discrepancies in the ongoing distribution of PVCs, whereby some people are getting theirs while INEC arbitrarily said it was cancelling the exercise in seven wards in Ogbomoso North Local Government. This action is capable of impugning the commission but we do not want to believe that it is conniving with some groups of people to disenfranchise the people,” he said.
In Ilorin, Sunday Tribune gathered that the complaints ranged from absence of INEC ad-hoc officials at many wards to allegations of voters’ disenfranchisement and inadequate security provision for the exercise.
Speaking with the Sunday Tribune in Ilorin on Saturday, the secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Yemi Afolayan, said the Conference of Nigeria’s Political Parties (CNPP) in Kwara, except the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had complaints on the exercise.
“For instance, many polling units where about 500 people had registered, only 200 names were on the voters’ register now. Where about 600 had registered, only 300 names could be seen on the register. So, we implore INEC to ensure that our people are not disenfranchised. PDP is not complaining, may be because of conspiracy involved”, he said.
Also speaking, the publicity secretary of the opposition PDP, Chief Rex Kolawole, said no INEC officials were seen in such places like Oju Ekun Sarumi, IGS area, Oko Erin ward, Karatu, Alanamu among others.
Ibadan S/West community faults INEC Fijabi calms residents
By Olawale Olaniyan
Residents in Ibadan South-West community on Saturday faulted Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over shambolic manner the collection of their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) was handled.
The residents who made their grievances known to a member of House of Representatives, representing Ibadan North West/ South West constituency, Honourable Saheed Akinade-Fijabi who monitored the exercise in various centres of the area.
Some of those that spoke to Sunday Tribune said INEC held them to ransom for two days, denying them their right, calling on the state government to declare another break for state workers so as to get their PVC and as well register.
Meanwhile, INEC Head of Public Affairs, Oyo State, Ayodele Folami apologised to the residents of the affected areas saying their PVC will soon get to them even if the appropriate date slated expires.
Akinjide, Makinde urge Oyo residents to register, claim PVCs
By Dare Adekanmbi and Damola Adeoye
The Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Olajumoke Akinjide has called on citizens and residents of Oyo State who have reached the age of 18 since the last voter registration exercise to take advantage of the fresh registration of voters by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This is just as she urged all eligible voters to claim their permanent voter cards (PVCs) currently being distributed in all the pooling units across the 33 local government councils in the state, including the newly created 497 polling units.
Akinjide, who stated these in a statement made available to newsmen by her media aide, Mr Ayodeji Adeyemi, said it was important for the unregistered voters to use the window of opportunity provided by INEC for a fresh registration of voters slated for between August 20 and 25, so as not to disenfranchise themselves in 2015.
On the PVC, she explained that it was the most potent power that the electorate have over their leaders, calling on people not to waste time in retrieving their cards from INEC at their polling units.
In the same vein, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial aspirant in Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde has urged Nigerians to troop out en-masse to collect their permanent voters card (PVC). He made the appeal in a release forwarded to Sunday Tribune and signed by his media aide, Alhaji Akeem Azeez.
Speaking to people who thronged his Omi Titun Campaign Office to complain about the sordid arrangement by INEC on the exercise to remain calm, and cooperate with the commission for a hitch-free exercise, he appealed to INEC to consider extending the exercise by, at least, two more days, saying; “I want to appeal to the authorities to extend the exercise by two more days, so the Commission can cover a lot of ground.”
Shortcomings ’ll be addressed —LG boss
THE caretaker chairman, Ibadan South East Local Government, Alhaji Abass Najimudeen, has reassured registered voters in the local government that all shortcomings noticed would be addressed.
Noting that while wards 3, 4 and 11 are most affected, some polling units in wards 8 and 10 also have issues.
In the affected wards, name of voters were conspicuously missing despite voting in the 2011 election.
In a release, made available to Sunday Tribune, he urged the public to exercise patience and bear with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as all anomalies would be corrected.
Party chieftain urges people to collect cards
An Accord party chieftain in Oyo State, Hon Tunde Hakeem Adedokun, in a press release made available to Sunday Tribune has urged people in the state not to be deterred by the absence of INEC officials in most polling booths in the state.
Said he; “I am strongly appealing to INEC not to disenfranchise our people, going by what I saw yesterday where lots of people trooped out to collect their new voters card, and INEC officials were nowhere to be found.
In fact, it was worse in my constituency, Ibadan North East, where already registered voters could not find their names in about 175 polling units out of about 240. We want to know what happened to these names and why they were removed from the electoral register?”
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