The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Delta State says 300,343 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have yet to be collected by their owners.
INEC’s National Commissioner, Mustafa Muhammad Lecky disclosed this at a meeting with chieftains of political parties in the state in Asaba, the state capital.
Lecky said INEC was concerned with the burden of uncollected PVCs, which had effect on the commission’s logistics planning.
The national commissioner, therefore, called upon the political parties to mobilise and educate the electorate in the state on the need to collect their PVCs.
According to him, the burden of collection is on the owners of the cards.
He also appealed to the parties to encourage inclusive participation and public trust in the electoral process.
Lecky tasked the political parties to ensure spending in line with the provisions of the law during campaigns.
He said that tracking campaign finance of political parties had been in force since the 2015 general elections.
Earlier, the INEC Administrative Secretary, Rose Orianran-Anthony, said it was mandatory for any party registered in the state to have a physical structure with full complement of party executives at the state capital.
Orianran-Anthony said some parties were not physically on ground in the state capital despite having been registered as parties in the state.
She said that INEC had also observed with dismay the flagrant display of billboards expressing political aspirations.
The official described the development as an aberration, as political campaigns could only commence not earlier than 90 days before elections and end not later than 24 hours before the polls.