INEC Tasks Stakeholders On PVC Collection

The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State has urged relevant stakeholders to create awareness for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in all nooks and cranny of the state.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Dr Johnson Alalibo, made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Port Harcourt last Friday, stressing that the electoral process begins with the collection of the PVC.
The stakeholders’ meeting was convened to intimate major stakeholders on measures to be employed to ensure seamless distribution of the PVC) as well as to update the stakeholders on preparation put in place towards the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Dr Alalibo explained how the PVCs collection scheduled to begin on Monday (yesterday), will be carried out.
He explained further that there would be no use of incident forms during the election as the whole process will be carried out electronically.
Dr Alalibo disclosed that the commission in Rivers State had received some non sensitive materials for the 2023 election, including 6,866 Bimodial Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines.
In his submission, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, who is the co-chairman, of inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, Okon Effiong, represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Administration, Hamza Tembai, said the police was committed to ensuring a credible process.
Two other stakeholders, the Rivers State Chairman, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Young Ayo-Tamuno and Secretary of a non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mr Smart Tony, called on political parties to call their followers to order to avoid electoral violence.
He said eligible voters have the privilege to go online, log in their details to ascertain if their PVC’s are ready for collection.
The stakeholders’ meeting had in attendance, NGOs and CSOs chairmen, women leaders, youth leaders of political parties, traditional rulers as well as religious leaders, among others.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana