‘Lack of interest worrying’ — INEC says over 100,000 PVCs uncollected in Enugu

Chukwuemeka Chukwu, resident electoral commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu, says over 100,000 permanent voter cards (PVCs) are yet to be collected in the state.

He said this on Friday while briefing stakeholders in preparation for the official flag-off of the collection of PVCs, scheduled to begin nationwide on December 12, 2022.

Chukwu said the meeting with stakeholders is to inform them of the commencement of the exercise and for them to sensitise voters on the need to collect their PVCs.

“We are concerned about people’s lack of interest to collect their PVCs,” NAN quoted him as saying.

He, however, said there is a need for people to be informed that the 2023 elections would be different from previous polls.

“There is not going to be any incident form during the election. So, nobody will vote without his/her PVC,” he added.

He also urged political parties to educate the electorate, especially their supporters, on the need to collect their PVCs within the window period.

Chukwu also said INEC will engage 17,000 ad hoc staff for the 2023 general election across the 17 LGAs in the state.

He said at the moment, only about 5,000 have so far applied for ad hoc jobs, adding that there is a need for more people to apply.

The REC also assured residents that elections in the state will be “transparent, free, and credible”.