The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decried the low collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Rivers State.
The INEC National Commissioner in charge of Delta, Cross River, and Rivers states, May Agbamuche, made the observation while briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt on Monday.
The INEC commissioner said out of 54,945 PVCs that have been received, only 10,373 have so far been collected.
She, therefore, called on Rivers people to ensure they come forward to collect their PVC.
She said
“With regards to the distribution of new PVCs, a total of 54,945 have been received but only 10,373 have been collected so far, leaving an outstanding balance of 44,572.
“From the old PVC we gave on record 302, 297 cards 33, 575 collected.
“I must be emphatic and put on record that the collection of PVC here has been abysmally low with 7 months to go to the general election.
“We urged the people of Rivers state to collect their PVCs on time and not to wait until the last minute.”
She further assured that the commission is committed to ensuring that no one is disenfranchised.
Speaking on the recent discovery of some PVCs in the drainage in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the state, the INEC commissioner noted that the PVCs have been handed over to the security agencies for investigation.
She, however, disclosed that the Electoral Officer of the local government has confirmed that no PVC is missing from their custody as well as in other LGAs.
