Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
February 12, 2023.
A group of aggrieved eligible voters in Borno state, has vowed to sue the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over alleged non-distribution of their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for the 2023 general elections.
The Group’s spokesman, Ishaku Yakubu, disclosed this, yesterday (Sunday), in Maiduguri at a news conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) press centre.
According to him, all attempts to get PVCs from the Commission were, however, frustrated, barely two weeks to the forthcoming elections
Speaking on their denials of PVCs, he said: “The eligible persons you see here this afternoon and a host of many others who have not been able to collect their PVCs are registered.
“Our names are found in the INEC official electronic Voter Register, but we are yet to receive our PVCs.”
He noted that some may wonder why we waited till now to raise this concern.
He said this is despite the efforts of INEC and the trust to beat last week’s deadline of distributing the cards for the elections.
“There was no announcement regarding any extension to the collection of PVCs,” he lamented.
Besides, he added that the Commission in the State, is still telling people to go home and come back for their PVCs.
Continued; “We’ve people in their thousands (including myself) who have been going to the INEC offices to collect their PVCs registered under the most difficult situations and inconvenience.
“Up till now we are yet to collect our cards. INEC has previously announced to the media that all PVCs are ready for collection.”
He lamented how Nigerians are not coming out for their PVCs.
Meanwhile, he said that the eligible voters queue up at INEC offices and ward levels to get PVCs only to be told your PVC is not ready.
Besides, he added that some were asked to come back in three days, a week and other pledges to access the PVCs.
He feared that there is a sinister plan to disenfranchise thousands of people as there appears to be no reason for holding up the PVCs.
“All of us here and many others who registered transfer requests for replacement of lost/damaged cards particularly between May and July 2022, have not been given their PVCs,” he said.
According to him, last week was the final deadline according to INEC and people are being asked to go and come back for their cards.
Responding, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mohammed Ibrahim said that most of them without PVCs may have registered more than once.
“That is why they did not get them,” he said.
He noted that there was a window reserved for them to get their cards which can happen only when they write to his office for redress.
He assured that all transfers have been documented and they will receive their cards if they come to our office to receive their cards.
