The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday caused confusion in Rivers State over the collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs).
The collection of PVCs in the 23 local government areas of the state, according to INEC, was to hold between November 7 and 9, with voters already sensitised and the stakeholders met with in Port Harcourt by the electoral body chaired by Prof. Attahiru Jega.
The Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), also declared yesterday a work-free day for Rivers people to massively participate in the exercise.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Rivers State, Aniedi Ikoiwak, who earlier assured that the PVCs would be distributed in all the 23 LGAs of the state, could not fulfill his promise, blaming the failure on technical challenge.
Ikoiwak, on Thursday, disclosed in Port Harcourt that the PVCs would be distributed in the three days only in seven LGAs: Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Omuma, Ogu/Bolo, Okrika, Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo and Tai, without indicating specific dates when persons who registered as voters in the remaining 16 LGAs would get their PVCs.
Chairmen of the seven LGAs also made free transportation arrangements for their people to move from Port Harcourt to their various communities to pick their PVCs, and to be brought back freely to the state capital.
As the prospective voters were preparing yesterday morning to move to their registration units and communities to collect their PVCs, the Supervisory National Commissioner of INEC in charge of Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, Mrs. Thelma Eremiren, announced that the PVCs would no longer be given in the seven LGAs.
Eremiren also disclosed that because of the technical challenge, all the registered voters in the 23 LGAs of Rivers State would now be collecting their PVCs between November 28 and 30.
In view of Amaechi’s work-free day announcement, most government offices were under lock and key, but there was confusion in public schools.
Students and teachers, who acted on the governor’s earlier directive of work-free day, decided to stay at home, but when some of the students of public schools saw their counterparts in private schools, who got Eremiren’s later information and were going to school, some of them also went to school without seeing any teacher.
The LG council chairmen, who had earlier made arrangements for transportation of voters to their communities, hurriedly started announcing on local radio and television stations that the arrangement had been cancelled in view of the latest development from INEC.
Some enthusiastic voters from some of the seven LGAs were seen at the popular Abali Motor Park and some other major parks in Port Harcourt, waiting for vehicles to convey them to their communities only to be told that the exercise had been cancelled. Most of them were disappointed.
Governor Chibuike Amaechi had earlier expressed optimism that Jega would defend his reputation and uphold his integrity by ensuring that all Rivers people above 18 obtain their PVCs.
Amaechi said: “INEC cited technical problem. We sympathise with INEC and we join them to pray that they find a solution to it. In my LGA (Ikwerre), there are some units that were registered but the names of some people have been omitted completely. So, there will be fresh registration.
“What INEC is doing now is to say all the elections in the past have not been properly conducted. Now they want to conduct proper free elections. I did not use the word fair. This is because elections in 2015 may be free, but at the end of the day, it may not be fair.
“If they use police and soldiers to chase away the voters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is that election fair? No matter how much INEC would have put a technical process in place, then the elections won’t be fair.
“So, you can only say whether the election is fair at the end of the election, but for now, we can assume that INEC will be able to conduct a free election, believing and trusting that Jega will be able to defend his reputation.”
source: nigerianeye
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