THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said about 800,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have remained uncollected in Oyo State.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Adeniran Tella, made this known at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Ibadan, On Wednesday, February 1.
The meeting was part of the ongoing nationwide Mock Voters’ Accreditation/Verification exercise.
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Tella stated that with several training sessions for staff and ad-hoc staff members in the state, INEC is fully ready for the upcoming election.
The purpose of the mock voters’ accreditation, he said to identify any potential issues that may arise during the actual election, to enable the Commission make necessary adjustments.
“Collection of PVCs at 33 INEC Local Government Area offices has been further extended for eight days with additional two hours, which is expected to end on Sunday, February 5, 2023, starting from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, Saturday and Sunday inclusive,” he said.
“As I speak to you, we have so far distributed over 402,321 PVCs in the state. We still have over 800,000 uncollected PVCs at our various 33 INEC LGA offices.”
The REC added that the mock voters’ accreditation exercise will be conducted across six councils of Akinyele, Atiba, Iseyin, Ogbomoso North, Ibadan North and Ido.
He said the exercise would test 12 polling units in three senatorial districts of the state, adding that it would take place this Saturday, February 4 from 8.00 am to 2.30 pm in all affected local government areas and polling units.
Tella emphasized the importance of having a PVC, stating that it serves as a voter’s power on election day.
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