By Samuel Malik, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has extended the deadline for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, to 8 February, 2015.
The extension was announced on Sunday by Kayode Idowu, press secretary to INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, in a press release.
According to the press release, the new date supersedes the earlier date of January 31, 2015.
The commission said that the extension is intended to give registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs the opportunity to do so in readiness for the February 2015 general elections.
INEC also advised those who are yet to collect their voter cards to ensure that they do not miss the new deadline, adding that the commission is determined to conduct a credible election.
“The Commission reaffirms its determination to make the 2015 elections free, fair, credible and peaceful; and urges all stakeholders, including voters, to spare no effort in working towards the same objective,” the statement reads.
Following reports that several millions of the PVCs were yet to be collected, with just two weeks to the general elections, there have been calls for efforts to be intensified to ensure that people collected their voter cards, with some suggesting a holiday.
The move by INEC to extend the collection date will come as a relief to many who had feared they might be disenfranchised, while it also gives indication that the commission is determined to go ahead and conduct the elections on the set days, almost laying to rest calls made by some, notably the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, that the elections should be postponed to enable people collect their voter cards.