A day to the 2015 general polls, it is now certain
that a large number of Nigerians will still be
disenfranchised, as members of the Ogun State
Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
marched out in hundreds in a peaceful protest
over the non-issuance of their Permanent Voters
Cards, PVCs at the headquarters of the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,
in Abeokuta, the State capital.
Moroof Ajisegiri, a former Local Government
Chairman, and a former Health Commissioner,
Isiaka Salako who led the aggrieved protesters in
their separate remarks to journalists revealed that
over 50,000 of them have been denied their
constitutional rights to vote for the candidate of
their choice in the forthcoming election.
He said “I’m a former Governorship aspirant in
Ogun State and I have come here leading my
people. Over 50,000 of us who have been denied
our constitutional right to vote for the candidate of
our choice in the forth-coming elections by not
having our voters cards,” he said.
He emphatically stated that the failure of the
electoral umpire to release their cards to enable
them participate in the electoral process can and
will attract protesters to sue INEC.
“We are not violent people; we are not going to
prevent anybody from doing his duty. But if any
organisation is preventing us from doing our
responsibility then we also have the responsibility
to go to court.
“Definitely we will carry an action against INEC if
they do not give us our PVCs so that we can be
able to vote on Saturday. Both old and young are
interested in voting for a good Government so that
their children and grandchildren can have a better
life,” Mr. Salako said.
The protesters, who pitched their tents outside the
INEC office in the bid to drive home their demands,
displayed their Temporary Voters Cards saying
they were yet to be replaced with the PVCs months
after they duly participated in the registration
exercise.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as
“INEC release our PVC”, “Over 60,000 registered
voters don’t have PVCs” and “Allow us to vote in
forthcoming election”.
While addressing the Protesters, Simeon Olatoye
INEC’s Head of General Administration and
Procurement, claimed that the Commission was
still working seriously to ensure that everyone
received their PVCs in the State, adding, INEC
commissioners were sent to Abuja to collect
outstanding PVCs
“At the moment, we’ve sent our officers to Abuja to
collect outstanding PVCs.”
However, contrary to claims by the commission
that it had successful distributed the 81.98 % of
PVC’s to all the regions mapped out for the
electoral process, investigations by Post Nigeria
have picked holes in these claims as there are
glaring cases of inconsistency in the contentious
distribution of these PVCs.
Ogun and Edo State, are case studies in this
report, where INEC supposedly recorded 61.53%
and 68.38% distribution respectively.
How the commission came about such figures,
when there were obvious flaws in the process
owing to the fact that as a result of INEC’s
nonchalance, some of these PVCs were either
stolen, duplicated or not printed at all.
In a lot of these cases, prospective voters
registered months ago, but the Commission
deliberately refused to release their cards for
reasons that have left the electorate in these
states victimized and restless.
In Delta State alone, 600,000 PVC’s where stolen;
only 7,365 were recovered by the INEC. Same
applies to Rivers where 14,000 PVC’s were
snatched , 1,300 were reclaimed.
In Edo State where 3661 PVCs were stolen, only
983 were recovered, leaving so many
disenfranchised particularly in Ekpon Town, Ward
10 in Igueben Local Government area of the State.
Voters in the regions who had previously collected
their cards now have another set of PVCs printed
for them whereas, about 1500 newly registered
prospective voters are yet to receive theirs.
The apparent shoddy and inefficient handling of the
production of the PVCs amounts to financial waste
and discredits the electoral process and its
outcome as it cost N65 to produce one PVC.
A little arithmetic will reveal how callously the
electoral body has handled the process.
INEC figures remain highly questionable.
At the eleventh hour, the fate of Nigerians
especially those yet to collect their PVC’s still
remain unknown as these people will be
disenfranchised.
Post Nigeria believes that the major issue that
informed INEC’s decision to deliberate attempt to
disenfranchise over 23 million eligible voters who
are yet to collect their PVCs is one that is roundly
condemned.
http://www.post-nigeria.com/a-day-to-polls-ogun-voters-yet-to-receive-pvcs-protest/

election may be..

some1 should convince me dat dis is nt part of d rigging plan of pdp