75.94% of Total PVCs Distributed – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, released details of the Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs collection rate, showing that 75.94% of registered voters across the country have taken delivery of the crucial voting material.

Residents of Sebiotimo street, Agege, checking for their Permanent Voters Cards at ward 5, Agage Local Government in, Lagos state, yesterday [08-11-14]. Photo: Bunmi Azeez52,275,367 voters of the registered 68,833,476 voters, according to INEC’s computation, had collected the PVCs as at yesterday.

The details, however, showed a continuing disparity in the PVC collection rates with indications that collection of the PVCs were significantly higher in the North than in the South.

The revelation came as the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senate caucus, yesterday, alleged fresh plans by the Presidency allegedly working in cahoots with the Senate leadership to ensure that the PVCs and card readers were not used for the elections. The caucus alleged that the ultimate agenda was to scuttle the rescheduled elections.

The figures for PVC collection showed that Zamfara, Nasarawa and Gombe states with 97.51%, 96.29% and 95.05% respectively have the highest collection rates.

Ogun with 40.86% had the lowest collection rate and was trailed by the Federal Capital Territory with 61.42% and Lagos with 62.4% trailed in that order.

The geopolitical collection rates showed the North-west with 88.66% collection rate, and the South-West having the lowest collection rate with 63.23%.

PVCs: How the regions stand

The geopolitical distribution rate is as follows:

lNorth East – 82.95%

lNorth West – 88.66%

lNorth Central – 73.78%

lSouth East – 73.35%

lSouth West – 63.20%

lSouth South – 74.09%

No explanation was available for the disparity in the collection rates among the geopolitical regions and Mr. Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to National Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega was not available for comments on the development as his telephone lines were switched off.

APC senators were led to the press briefing by the Minority Leader, Senator George Akume who claimed that the Presidency manipulated the INEC Chairman, Jega, through security agencies to shift the elections.

The hastily arranged briefing was in response to the summons given to Jega to appear before the Senate today. They said the summons was part of plans by government to compel the INEC chairman not to apply the card readers and the PVCs in the conduct of the polls.

They described the action as part of a plot to emplace an Interim Government.

“There is no country in the world whose leader can sit down and do what we are doing here, to undermine our democracy. We have nothing like Interim Government in our constitution and of course, there is nothing like coup in our constitution and therefore, we must do the right thing.

“The President himself has sworn to protect this country and therefore, where he is going wrong, he must be corrected. Elections must be held as rescheduled, it is important that INEC must do this in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.

“Nigeria is a huge and complex society, culturally, structurally, and all hands must be on deck to avoid the Somalia experience,” they warned.

Senator Akume said the use of card readers will add value to the conduct of the elections.

“We are talking about free and fair elections. Time has passed when people carry ballot boxes and papers to their respective rooms, thumb-print and in the following days, we have senators, we have members of the House of Representatives, we have governors and we have the president. The whole world is watching this county. We have become a laughing stock, we are becoming a banana republic. (Vanguard)