The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has distributed the 55,859 permanent voter cards ahead of next month’s governorship election in Ondo State.

National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun said in a statement yesterday that the collection of the PVC will not be shifted to local government offices of the commission.

The statement reads: “For five days (17-21 October 17 to 21, 2024), the commission made the permanent voter cards (PVCs) from the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Ondo State available for collection in all the 203 wards across the state.

“The commission is pleased to announce that at the end of the five days, 55,859 cards were personally collected by new registrants and applicants for transfer and replacement of lost or damaged cards as provided by law. This figure represents 62.2% of the 89,777 cards available for collection.

“This is the highest percentage of PVCs collected in five days in Ondo State since the Commission introduced the CVR in 2015. A detailed breakdown of the collection by local government areas has been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.

“Meanwhile, the collection will resume in our 18 local government offices in Ondo State from tomorrow (today), Wednesday, October 23 to Tuesday, October 29, 2024, from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm daily (including the weekend). Detailed information on the locations of our local government offices in Ondo State is already available on our website.

“We appeal to the remaining voters to pick up their PVCs from our local government offices. The commission reiterates its policy that no cards will be collected by proxy.”

Contrary to reports, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State did not file any suit seeking to compel the convening of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) to decide the fate of the acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, PDP Governors’ Forum disclosed.

PDP Governors’ Forum which distanced itself from a legal action purportedly instituted at the Federal High Court of Nigeria holden at Gusau Judicial Division.

A statement issued on Tuesday by the Director General of the forum admonished that Mohammed, who is the chairman of the forum, has nothing to do with the suit either by himself or proxy.

It therefore urged the party supporters and Nigerians in general to disregard the insinuation.

The statement reads: “the attention of the PDP Governors’ Forum, PDPGF under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State, and all the member Governors of the Forum, has been drawn to an online publication, to the effect that the Bauchi Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum filed a suit at the Federal High Court of Nigeria holden at Gusau Judicial Division seeking an ex parte order that would compel the convening of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

“This is to emphatically state that the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State does not in any way, either by proxy or himself, have anything to do with the said suit.

“For emphasis, our teeming supporters and all Nigerians are urged to ignore the false claim that the Chairman of the Forum or any of its members instigated any legal proceedings in reference to the above.

“Finally, we wish to state that the publication is dubious, malicious and intended to smear the character of Governor Bala Mohammed.”

A member of the PDP, Imam Awal, thought to be loyal to Governor Mohammed, was reported to have

dragged the party to court ahead of the scheduled October 24 National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

His motion filed before a Federal High Court, Gusau, Zamfara State is seeking to nullify all actions taken by the Acting Chairman, Iliya Damagum.

The PDP member has approached a Federal High Court in Gusau under Justice Salim Ibrahim to help facilitate an ex-parte order.

The plaintiff is also asking the Court to determine whether the NEC is in contradiction of the party’s constitution by not appointing a substantive National Chairman from the North-Central zone after the removal of the Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, who is from the zone.

The internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened as a Federal High Court in Zamfara State has refused to grant an ex parte order sought by the faction aligned with Governor Bala Mohammed, the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum.

The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, prevents the faction from convening a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, intensifying tensions within the party.

According to reports, the Bala Mohammed-led faction had sought the court’s intervention to proceed with the NEC meeting, amidst ongoing efforts to unseat the party’s acting national chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.

However, opposition from party members loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has created a major rift within the PDP leadership.

Earlier attempts to remove Damagum were stalled by a Federal High Court in Abuja, which issued an order blocking his ouster. This latest development further complicates the leadership crisis, with stakeholders from both sides vying for control ahead of key party decisions.

As the crisis unfolds, the PDP faces increasing internal division, potentially affecting its political strategies and cohesion in the lead-up to future elections.