By Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

Eligible voters in four local government areas of Edo State have not received their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, two weeks to the general elections which starts on March 28.

The administrative secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Edo State, Brown Ulucha, made the disclosure on Friday when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, House of Representatives candidate for Egor/Ikpoba Federal Constituency, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, led a protest to the commission’s office over what he described as shoddy distribution of PVCs in the two local governments under his jurisdiction.

Ulucha said that all PVCs in Owan West, Owan East, Ovia South West and Uhunmwode, were yet to arrive from the INEC headquarters, adding that the State Resident Electoral Commissioner had gone to the Abuja to sort out the problem.

The INEC secretary, who assured Agbonayinma that he would look into his complain, disclosed that he had issued seven queries to members of staff of Ikpoba-Okha INEC office for various offences.

Agbonayinma, who protested to INEC with his supporters armed with a petition, said that while the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan want free and fair elections, some INEC staff were trying to sabotage the polls.

“Some INEC staff do not deserve to be here to supervise the distribution of PVC. If INEC want to succeed electoral officers of Egor and Ikpoba-Okha must not be allowed to stay,” he said.