Over 1.6m PVCs uncollected in Lagos, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 1,693,963 permanent voters cards (PVCs) are yet to be collected in Lagos state.

According to a document released by the commission’s Lagos office on Friday, the number of old PVCs received from the national headquarters is 6,570,291, out of which 5,653,330 have been collected and 916,961 uncollected as of December 29.

On the other hand, the number of new PVCs received from the headquarters was 940,200, with 163,198 collected and 777,002 uncollected as of December 29.

The document shows that in total, 7,510,491 new PVCs and old PVCs were received from the commission’s headquarters. As of December 29, 5,816,528 have been collected and 1,693,963 remain uncollected.

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Collection of PVCs began on December 12, 2022, and is set to continue till January 22, 2023, in all the 774 LGAs across the country.

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) had recently asked INEC to extend the deadline for the collection of PVCs, saying Nigerians are facing difficulties picking up their cards.

They noted that several Nigerians who visited INEC’s offices around the country have been told that their cards were not ready.

“In addition, in some places where cards are available, registered voters express frustration with the disorderliness and cumbersome nature of the PVC collection process,” the CSOs said.

The coalition comprises EIE Nigeria, YIAGA Africa, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Fix Politics, Women Advocates and Research Development Centre (WARDC), ConnectHub, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), and The Electoral College Nigeria.