…INEC takes action against staff for alleged extortion and discriminatory issuance of PVCs.
INEC extends the PVC collection deadline by seven days due to widespread complaints from across the country; the new deadline is January 29th, instead of January 22nd as previously announced.
INEC extends the PVC collection deadline by seven days due to complaints of difficulties in obtaining the cards, including extortion by INEC officials and discrimination against non-indigenes in some states. INEC also announced plans to punish any staff found to have engaged in such practices. The statement was made by Dr. Festus Okoye, National Commissioner in charge of the Information and Voter Education Committee at INEC, following the commission’s regular meeting to discuss the ongoing collection of PVCs nationwide.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced an eight-day extension for the collection of Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) due to a high turnout of registered voters and an increase in the number of collected PVCs across the country. The extension is intended to provide ample opportunity for registered voters to collect their PVCs ahead of the upcoming election. The new deadline for collection is January 29, 2023, and collection hours will remain from 9 am to 3 pm daily, including weekends. As a result of the extension, the collection schedule at the Registration Area (Ward) level will be extended by one week from January 16 to 22, 2023, and collection at the Local Government level will take place from January 23 to 29, 2023. INEC also announced that it will investigate any staff found to have engaged in any misconduct during the collection process.
INEC announced that it is investigating allegations of extortion by officials at collection centers and inducement by some voters to circumvent processes in order to obtain their PVCs. Those found guilty will face disciplinary action or prosecution, according to Dr. Festus Okoye, National Commissioner in charge of the Information and Voter Education Committee at INEC. He also stated that the commission is disturbed by allegations of discriminatory issuance of PVCs in some locations and that all registered voters are entitled to their PVCs and to use them to vote on Election Day in any part of the country where they are registered. INEC has printed over 13.86 million new PVCs and field officials have been directed to notify their respective Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) if some cards cannot be located.
Source: Vanguard News