2023: Oyo REC engages stakeholders, decries low rate of PVCs’ collection

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, has decried the low rate of permanent voter cards’ collection across the state.

Agboke, who spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday at Atiba Hall in Oyo town, said that 756,397 PVCs remained uncollected in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that meeting was organised by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in zone.

He pointed out that only 2,889 people out of 146,264 across the nine local government areas (LGAs) that made up zone had collected their PVCs.

NAN reports that the nine council areas are: Afijio, Atiba, Oyo East, Oyo West, Surulere, Oriire, Ogo-Oluwa, Ogbomoso South and Ogbomoso North.

The REC, however, said that the large number of uncollected PVCs might be due to relocation or death of the owners.

“The commission is not resting on its oars to ensure that the number gets reduced before the commencement of the forthcoming general elections,” he said.

Agboke urged relevant stakeholders, such as National Orientation Agency, political parties, youth and trade organizations as well as civil society organisations (CSOs), among others, to sensitise eligible citizens to collect their PVCs, ahead of the 2023 elections.

On the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR), he said that over 219,157 registrants had visited the commission’s website since the commencement of the fourth quarter on April 11.

He, however, stated that only 200,955 had physically completed their registrations at INEC-designated centres across the state.

The REC also hinted that CVR online registration would be suspended on May 30 to enable online registrants complete their registration physically at designated centres before the end of the exercise on June 30.

“This will also enable the commission to clean up the registration data, print the PVCs and compile the register, ahead of the 2023 general elections,” he said.

Agboke further intimated the stakeholders about the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) into the electoral process by the commission.

According to him, BVAS has now replaced Smart Card Reader and does three major things on election-day.

“It is for verification of eligible voters; for electronic authentication of voters and for loading of individual polling units’ results into the INEC Result Viewing Portal, called IReV.

“The use of BVAS will eventually guarantee the credibility of voter accreditation by preventing incidences of multiple voting or use of stolen PVCs to vote, while the use of incident form will be eliminated,” he said.

Agboke urged all stakeholders to assist the commission in educating Nigerians about the problem of invalid registration.

He further stated that anyone, who had registered in the past, needed not to re-register.

“If you registered as far back as 2011, you should not get involved in the CVR again, unless you have problems with your PVC or fingerprint recognition during accreditation in any previous election,” he said.

The INEC chief also warned against vote buying and selling during elections, saying the offences attract stiff penalties.

He appreciated the presence of the community heads, religious leaders, representatives of political parties, security agencies’ representatives, youths and other stakeholders at the meeting.

The police, through Mr Omini Iwara, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ogbomoso area and Mr Elijah Adejanye, representing Oyo Area Police Command, pledged their continued support to INEC.

A politician, Alhaji Abdulganiy Adeleke, promised to sensitise other politicians and supporters who had yet to collect their PVCs on the need to do so immediately.