The expectations of some prominent indigenes of Niger State of collecting their Permanent Voter Cards was dashed on Friday as the Independent National Electoral Commission told them that they have to tarry again for a while.
The prominent Nigerlites, including the state Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, who has been urging the people to troop out once the exercise commences, were told that the distribution of the PVC would be restricte to some local government areas in the state.
This has thus stalled the issuance of the PVC to former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, popularly known as IBB; former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar; and Aliyu. INEC in Niger State in a statement on Friday, disclosed that the Permanent Voter Cards would be distributed in only 11 local government areas of the state out of 25.
Babangida, Abubuakar and Aliyu, who were to receive their PVCs in Chanchaga Local Government Area, could not come out of their homes because they already had feelers that their LGA was among those without PVCs as announced by INEC.
Others are the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, who falls under Bida Local Government Area; a former Governor of the state, Engineer Abdulkadir Kure; and his wife, Senator Zainab Kure, who are from Lapai Lpcal Government Area, and the All Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate for the 2015 polls, Abubakar Sani Bello, who is from Kotangora Local Government Area.
INEC on Friday disclosed that only PVCs for 11 Local Government Areas have been receive,d with that of the remaining 14 Local Government Areas yet to arrive from China.
According to the statement signed by INEC’s Administrative Secretary, Paul A. Atser, on behalf of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, the Local Government Areas yet to receive their PVCs are Bosso, Chanchaga, Bida, Katcha, Lavun, Kontagora, Lapai, Edatti, Magama, Agwara, Borgu, Agaie, Gurara and Gbako.
Atser said: “I have been directed to inform you with regrets that the remaining 14 local governments are yet to receive their PVCs. It is no longer feasible to have them before the commencement of the exercise on 19th December 2014.
The Local Government Areas where PVCs have arrived are Wushishi, Rafi, Tafa, Paikoro, Mariga, Mashegu, Shiroro, Rijau, Suleja, Mokwa and Munya. This is the fourth time INEC will be postponing the exercise in Nigeria State.
As at the time of filing this report, all effort to get to INEC’s REC to ascertain when the PVCs will arrive for these LGAs proved abortive as the officials of the commission were said to have gone to Abuja for ratification.
