Cross River PVCs wronglyTransported to Kebbi

Cross River PVCs wrongly Taken to Kebbi

 Dr. Okey Ezeani,The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Cross River State, disclosed that some Permanent Voter Cards meant for registered voters in the state were
wrongly transported to Kebbi State, on Wednesday.

He said this in Calabar when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Liyel Imoke and briefed him on the level of preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission for the March 28 and April 11 rescheduled polls.He told the Governor that some PVCs belonging to the electorate in the state were recently found in a consignment sent to Kebbi State.

“My colleague in Kebbi called me and said that they found some boxes of PVCs belonging to Cross River State in Kebbi and there are similar cases regarding some states as well. These are some of the issues plaguing INEC,” He siad.

He also disclosed that the commission in the state had yet to take delivery of PVCs for some polling units in Yakurr, Calabar-South, Calabar Municipality and Bakassi local government areas.

The REC, therefore, lauded the rescheduling of the elections, saying, “The postponement of the elections is a plus because it will afford us ample time to fix some of the things we were not able to get right.”
On the percentage of PVCs distributed so far in the state, the Resident Electoral Commissioner said, “When I came to Cross River State, the percentage of collection was running between 60 and 73 and after meeting with my staff, we set a target and today we have attained 82 per cent distribution in the state.”
He also used the opportunity of the visit to demonstrate to Imoke and members of the Cross River State Executive Council how the card reader works.

In his response, Imoke charged INEC to ensure 100 per cent distribution of PVCs in the state and the country as a whole before the elections so that no one would be disenfranchised on the grounds of non-availability of PVCs.
Imoke said it was also obvious from the disclosures made by the REC that INEC was not ready for the earlier scheduled dates for the polls, adding that the postponement was a blessing for the electoral body and the country.

He said, “I thank you for the effort at improving on the number of PVCs collected in the state from 66 per cent to 82 per cent now, even though you must try and achieve 100 per cent collection before the elections so as not to disenfranchise anybody.

“The constitution provides that every registered voter has the right to vote. It does not provide for the presentation of PVCs before exercising that right. So, we urge that you try as much as possible to achieve 100 per cent distribution otherwise, it will appear that INEC will be responsible for disenfranchising registered voters and this could have legal consequences and a reason to question the integrity of the process.”