Feb 16: PVC collection disrupts church services

Many Christians in Enugu  boycotted church services for the collection of their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs ) at the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) collection centres on Sunday.

Some of the electorate explained they took the action as Monday would be their last opportunity to collect the PVs, as announced by INEC.

A medical doctor, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that she came to collect her PVC from the hospital where she had just finished her night shift duty and as a result could not attend church service.

“I cannot go to Church today, I am coming directly from the hospital because I was on night duty and due to the PVC collection, I decided to boycott church service.

“Because without it I will not be able to vote, “she said.

Mr Kelechi Nwani, an electorate of ward six in Enugu South Local Government Area, said he had been at the INEC collection centre since 8: 00 a.m., and had yet to be attended to since the past two hours.

According to Nwani, his PVC has not been found, adding that other electorate in his ward had been waiting for INEC officials responsible for the distribution of ward six PVCs to resume duty.

Mrs Veronica Ugwueze said she did not attend church service because she needed the PVC to exercise her voting rights during the elections.

“I have to come to this INEC collection centre for my PVC, because I really want to vote my choice of candidate, though; it seems the officers are delaying in distributing the cards to their owners.

“I commend the INEC for extending the PVC collection in all the states, this goes to show how much ready  INEC is in the forthcoming general elections,” she said.

Mr Emmanuel Ogbodo told NAN that he came with his wife and three children to collect their PVC as they were all eligible voters.

“As a family, we came all the way from Agbani Road to collect our PVCs because it is our right to vote and we will vote according to our conscience on Feb 16,” Ogbodo said.

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He called on INEC not to allow politicians to collect other people’s PVCs other than theirs to avoid vote buying.

Meanwhile, Mr Thomas Olawuyi, the Electoral Officer, for INEC PVC collection centre in Enugu South said that there had been a large turnout in the collection of PVC.

He said that many people had collected their PVC while others were still waiting to collect.

He noted that the inability of some electorate to find their PVC could be due to improper capturing during registration.

The electoral officer, however, commended the electorate for turning out in their large number for the collection of their PVC.

Olawuyi  urged them to be patient, assuring them that INEC was ready to distribute PVCs to those who came to collect theirs.