Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said a total of 300,343 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were yet to be collected in Delta state.
INEC National Commissioner, Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Lecky, in charge of Delta, Bayelsa and Cross River states, said the uncollected PVCs were both for 2014-2015 exercise and for 2017.
The commissioner stated this in Asaba in an interactive session with journalists, chairmen and chieftains of about 35 registered political parties in the state.
Describing this development as worrisome, Dr. Lecky said “the Commission is greatly concerned about the uncollected PVCs because it has effects on the logistics planning.”
To save face and make the Commission achieve its set objectives, the national commissioner appealed to the political class to mobilise and educate their people on the need to collect PVCs at the nearest centres saying, the burden of collections is on the owners of the cards.
Speaking further, he said that the commission has always insisted on the need for internal democracy in Nigeria to ensure that the people they represent are able to benefit from the dividends of true democratic governance.
According to him, the absence of internal democracy however creates conflicts and rancor which ultimately lead to total destruction of democratic process.
On the duties of INEC, Dr. Lecky, who described the meeting as robust and timely said” it is our constitutional duties to conduct election and other electoral related duties such as delineation of constituencies , Registration and compilation of register of voters among others ”
“All these functions and activities, he explained, “have a specific time frame in the electoral circle hence a concerted effort is made to ensure compliance.”
The state INEC administrative secretary, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony on her part, expressed dismay over flagrant display of bill board by political parties across the state to express their aspiration against the commission’s procedure.
