The National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Kunle Ajayi, has cautioned that collecting Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by proxy will not be allowed during distribution on October 17, 2024.
Ajayi emphasised that collecting PVCs for others is against the law, and offenders will face consequences.
At the presentation of the official register of voters for the 2024 Ondo State governorship election at the INEC state headquarters in Akure, on Tuesday, Ajayi encouraged political parties to mobilize their supporters to collect their PVCs.
He also appealed to civil society oorganisations and the media to promote PVC collection among the public.
Ajayi assured that INEC has made provisions for assistive devices to ensure seamless voting for People Living With Disabilities (PWDs).
Speaking at the event, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, highlighted the importance of the voter register in ensuring electoral credibility.
Babalola had earlier said on Monday that, “PVC COLLECTION: I am pleased to announce that the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Ondo State will commence from 17th October, 2024. This exercise will begin at the Registration Area (RA) level until October 21st , 2024, including the weekend. PVC distribution will take place across all 203 RAs in the state, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily after which it will continue at the Local Government Area (LGA) level from 23rd to 29th October, 2024.
“PVCs will be distributed at designated collection centers across all 203 Registration Areas within the state’s 18 LGAs. I urge registered voters, especially those who recently updated their details or are newly registered, to take advantage of this opportunity to collect their PVCs. I also encourage those who had previously registered but are yet to collect their cards to use this window to do so,” Babalola said.
Representatives of the political parties including the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, commended INEC preparations and urged politicians to update INEC on deceased relatives to maintain accurate voter records.
Other Representatives of other political parties present commended INEC’s preparations and urged politicians to play the game by the rules.
