The Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) of all 14.5 million registered
voters between 2017 and 2018 have been printed and ready for collection
as well as all the PVCs of those who requested for replacement and
relocation of their cards ahead of 2019 general elections, had also been
printed and ready for collections.
Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), disclosed this on Friday in Abuja after the
swearing-in of the new Secretary to the Commission, Mrs Rose
Oriaran-Anthony.
”The commission has printed all PVCs for new registrants between
April 27, 2017 and August 31, 2018. We have also printed all the
requests for replacement of lost cards, all requests for transfer and
relocations.The last batch that we printed are for those who applied for transfer
and relocation, and those who applied for replacement of damaged and
defaced cards. This will be delivered immediately after the Christmas
break. So we are happy to say that all 14.5 million or so new registered
voters have their cards printed and delivered to the states. So we are
good to go on that,” Yakubu said.
Yakubu, who also spoke on the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) and its implications on the 2019 general
elections, said that the commission would meet with union leaders in
tertiary institutions for a way forward.
The INEC Chairman said that the ongoing strike was worrisome as the
commission also sourced some of its election ad hoc staff from the
tertiary institutions.
”The bulk of the ad hoc staff will be drawn from the National Youth
Service Corps members but where there is shortfall, and obviously there
would be shortfall, we rely on the universities.Remember we also rely on the universities to draw our collation and
returning officers. So the ongoing strike is worrisome in case some of
them say because of the ongoing strike they will not participate in the
elections.But the ASUU has been good friend of the commission and we intend to
meet with the President of the ASUU next week so that we can discuss and
iron this out. We will also extend it to the lecturers of polytechnics
and colleges of education so that we will meet with the Academic Staff
Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff
Union (COEASU) and all other unions in the tertiary education
sub-sectors,” the chairman said.