INEC: Over 5.5m PVCs collected in Lagos, PDP demands extension of time for collection

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos on Wednesday said that over 5.5 million Permanent Voter Cards had been collected by registered voters in the state.
Mr Femi Akinbiyi, INEC Public Relations Officer in Lagos State, disclosed this in Lagos.
Akinbiyi said the number of registered voters in the state stood at 6, 566,136 and urged those yet to pick up their cards to do so before it would be too late.
“There are still so many PVCs yet to be collected at the INEC offices in the 20 local government areas of the state.
“We are also appealing to all registered voters who are yet to pick up their PVCs to do so before it will be too late for the 2019 general elections.
“Ample opportunities have been given to all eligible voters who registered for PVCs to collect them. I want to urge the people to create time to collect their cards,” Akinbiyi said.
He said that the commission was set for the elections, saying that INEC had started moving non-sensitive materials to all INEC offices in each council area.
According to him, the commission will meet with stakeholders on February 12 on INEC preparations for the polls.
Presidential and National Assembly Elections will hold on February 16 while the governorship and House of Assembly elections will hold on March 2.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the deadline for the collection of PVCs by three days.
The party made the call in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ologbondiyan said the demand was predicated on reports across the country that some compromised INEC officials at the collection centres were deliberately refusing to issue the PVCs to voters.
This according to him is frustrating millions of registered voters from getting their voters’ cards.
“The PDP believes that the deliberate refusal to release PVCs is part of the wider plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disenfranchise millions of Nigerians and frustrate their eagerness to elect PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
“The PDP demands explanation from INEC for turning back registered voters who went to collect their PVCs and directing them to come at a later date for an exercise that is programmed to end on Friday,” he said.
He said information available to the party shows that the APC planned to use the uncollected PVCs to allocate votes to its candidates.