By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Ahead of the governorship elections in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission has said the collection of the Permanent Voter Cards by newly registered voters will commence on August 22, 2024.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced this at a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners, in Abuja on Monday.

The Edo governorship election is scheduled to be held on September 21, 2024.

A total of 184,438 voters were registered during the recently concluded Continuous Voters Registration in Edo State.

The figure included 119,206 new registrations, 8,847 inter-state transfers, and 46,171 intra-state transfers.

Additionally, 4,808 voters requested corrections to their details, and 5,406 voters applied for replacements of lost or damaged PVCs.

Yakubu confirmed that all the newly printed PVCs have been delivered to INEC’s office in Benin City and are now available for collection.

From August 22 to August 26, registered voters could pick up their cards at any of the 192 Wards in Edo State from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, including weekends, he announced.

After this period, the collection would move to INEC’s Local Government offices across the state, where voters can collect their PVCs from August 28 to September 8, 2024.

“I am glad to report that all the cards have been printed and delivered to our office in Benin City. From there, they have been handed over to our Electoral Officers for collection by voters.

“To ensure a seamless process, the cards will be available for collection in all the 192 Wards in the State where the last CVR took place from Thursday, August 22, 2024, to Monday, August 26, 2024, from 9.00 am to5.00 p.m. daily, including the weekend.

“Thereafter, the collection will continue in our 18 Local Government offices across the State from Wednesday, August 28, 2024, to Sunday, September 8, 2024, from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, including the weekends.

“Detailed information on the dates and location of the 210 centres (192 Wards and 18 LGA offices) has been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information,” he explained.

The INEC chairman noted that the commission has developed a register that includes the names and photographs of all 184,438 voters to streamline the collection process.

However, he stressed that PVCs must be collected in person, which is in line with INEC’s strict policy to prevent electoral malpractice.

“It is important to emphasise that the Commission’s policy that PVCs must be personally collected by registered voters has not changed.

“The cards will not be distributed or collected by proxy so that they do not end up in the wrong hands.

“We urge voters who took their time to register during the CVR to also take time to collect their PVCs in person and, most importantly, to come out on Election Day and vote for the party of their choice,” Yakubu warned.

He urged voters who took the time to register to also make the effort to collect their PVCs and, more importantly, to participate in the election by voting.

Yakubu assured that similar arrangements were being finalised for Ondo State, where the governorship election will take place in November.

The INEC chairman noted, “The Commission is working on the schedule for the collection of PVCs in Ondo State. Our attention is focused on the Edo State at the moment because the election is held next month.

“I want to assure the electorate in Ondo State that action is being taken in respect of the availability of their PVCs for the governorship election held in November this year.

“Very soon, the commission will make available detailed arrangements for the collection of PVCs for all categories of voters from the recent CVR in the state.”