INEC Extends PVC Collection To March 22

The Independent National Electoral Commission has extended the deadline for collection of Permanent Voter Cards across the country by additional two weeks.
The collection deadline which was fixed for March 8, will continue until March 22.
The commission in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Chief Press Secretary to the chairman of the commission, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said the latest extension offered the last opportunity for duly registered persons to collect their PVCs before the general elections scheduled for March 28
and April 11.
“INEC hereby calls on registered persons that are yet to collect their PVCs to use this last opportunity in doing so, in order to participate in the forthcoming general elections,” Idowu added.
The commission said on Wednesday that it has succeeded in distributing 80.24 per cent of the Permanent Voter Cards to their owners.
This figure indicated that 55,232,874 out of the 68,833,476 registered voters had picked their PVCs.
Out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Ogun State remains the only state that had yet to reach 50 per cent PVC collection.
In the state, only 47.27 per cent of the 1,829,534 registered voters had picked their PVCs.
This showed that only 864,292 voters had collected their PVCs.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, on Sunday dismissed the speculation making the rounds that the National Electoral Commissioners and the State Resident Electoral Commissioners had resolved to pass a vote of no confidence on the Chairman of the Commission, Prof.  Attahiru Jega, to pave the way for his removal from office.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja,  Agbaje declared that the speculation was the handiwork of lazy politicians who were out to distract the attention of Jega, discredit the commission  and cause confusion in the land ahead of the elections.