The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State on Wednesday, said it had distributed a total of 1,201,073 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to registered voters in the state.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, made this known at a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure.
He said that 344,006 PVCs were yet to be collected and urged those yet to collect theirs to do so while distribution continued.
“It is important to stress at this juncture that only the PVCs would be used to vote during the governorship poll, while the smart card readers would be used for accreditation of voters,’’ Agbaje said.
He added that selling of PVCs or manipulation of the card was a grievous offence punishable under the law with fines and/or prison term.
The REC urged the electorate in the state to have confidence in INEC, assuring that the commission would remain unbiased, neutral and fair to all.
In his remarks, Mr Fatai Adams, Deputy Chairman, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, said that politicians had become more aware that violence did not count.
Adams advised politicians to play the game according to the rules to ensure peace in the state during the election.
Similarly, Chairman of KOWA Party in the state, Mr Olanrewaju Atanlogun, urged INEC to tackle the inadequacy of polling units to ensure that no one was disenfranchised.
Atanlogun, who is also the Deputy Chairman, Conference of National Political Parties (CNPP) in the state, added that INEC should also look into the security situation in the riverside areas of the state.
On her part, Alhaja Rafat Momoh, Chairperson, Humanitarian Activities Department of Federation of Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Ondo state chapter, appealed to parents to check their children’s involvement in the election.
According to her, the children of politicians are in other locations enjoying themselves, while other people’s children are used for violence.
