2019: INEC issues new directives for PVC collection

Ahead of the 2019 General Elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued new guidelines for the collection of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs).

The INEC National Commissioner Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee Festus Okoye, said Friday in a statement that PVC collection by Nigerians, which is presently being done at the commission’s local government offices, is to be devolved to the 8,809 registration areas/wards from 16th to 21st January 2019, including Saturday and Sunday.

According to him, INEC carried out the Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR) exercise between 27th April 2017 and 31st August 2018 which a total of 14,283,734 new voters were registered and that the Commission printed the PVCs of the new registrants and delivered them to the states.

“Following appeals by members of the public and its desire to make it easier for Nigerians to collect their PVCs, the Commission held its regular weekly meeting on Thursday 10th January 2019 and took the following decisions among others: Collection of the PVCs by members of the public, which is being done presently at the commission’s local government offices, is to be devolved to the 8,809 registration areas/wards from 16th to 21st January 2019 (including Saturday and Sunday).

“After 21st January 2019, collection of PVCs will revert to the Commission’s Local Government Offices and other designated centres to be determined by the states until 8th February 2019, being the last day for collection. There will be no extension for the collection of PVCs after the 8th day of February 2019. All uncollected PVCs will be retrieved and kept in a secured place till the general elections are over,” Okoye said.

While saying that there shall be no collection of PVCs by proxy, he added that INEC, in the spirit of transparency, will give account of the number of PVCs collected and the balance from previous registrations and urged all registered voters, are yet to collect their PVCs, to seize the opportunity to do so.