The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PVCs

  • Amosun advises against violence

    •Governor spoke at Ojude Oba

    OGUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has admonished Nigerians to shun political violence before and during the 2015 general elections.

    He urged the people to embrace the distribution of permanent voter card, adding that it would avail them the opportunity to fulfill their constitutional right during the elections.

    The governor, who spoke yesterday at the Ojude Oba yearly festival, urged the people to ensure the sustenance of peace in their communities.

    He advised parents and guardians to ensure that they protect their children from being use as political thugs by politicians.

    “Let me admonish you all. As the electioneering process is around the corner, we all have a role to play in the process. We should sustain peace during the campaign period and beyond. We should not allow our ward and children to be use as political thugs.

    “As we all know, the collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs) will soon commence in the state. We are all expected to get our own to be able to take part in the voting exercise.”

    He congratulated the Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, for his commitment to the development of Ijebuland and Ogun State.

    He said the Ijebu people have demonstrated unity and togetherness with the Ojude Oba festival, adding that it was worthy of being emulated.

    “Ojude Oba has contributed to a major tourism sub sector of the state economy,” he noted

    In his remark, the Awujale re-echoed the need for the creation of Ijebu State.

    He appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly to consider the report of the National Conference.

    The monarch stated that Ijebu people remain one and they are pursuing the same goal as achieving the Ijebu State.

    “We want to appeal to the National Assembly and the President to give us the Ijebu State because we have human and natural resource to maintain the state.”

    The special guest at the event, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, described the Ojude Oba festival as a unique one, which brings together sons and daughters of the land.

    He said the facial expression of the people showed that they were in a joyous mood.

  • Oyo disagrees with INEC on PVCs

    Oyo disagrees with INEC on PVCs

    The Oyo State government disagreed yesterday with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) statement that not all registered voters will get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    The government had declared today a public holiday to enable registered voters collect their PVCs. The PVC collection begins today and ends on Sunday.

    On Wednesday, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Nasir Ayilara, told stakeholders that many registered voters in Afijio, Ibadan North East, Ibadan South West and Ogbomoso North local governments would not get their PVCs and would have to register again.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Parastatals Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle told The Nation yesterday that the people would not accept INEC’s position.

    He accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plotting to disenfranchise the electorate in areas where the party is unpopular, adding that this would be resisted by the people.

    Ayilara said: “I do not see any reason why PVCs will not be given to Oyo residents by INEC because enough funds were provided by the Federal Government for PVCs. President Goodluck Jonathan told Nigerians that every eligible voter will get a PVC; so, why is INEC saying many registered voters in the state will not get PVCs. There is no basis for INEC to say that. That is another game plan by the PDP to rig the election.”

    He urged INEC to refrain from anything that could dent its image and remain neutral.

    Ayilara said: “I believe the masses will not agree with them. It is their civic right and nobody under any guise must deny them this right. A revolution is imminent if they try to rig the election in 2015 because the people’s wish must prevail. The President and PDP should not toy with the sovereignty of the people by coming up with different game plans to rig the 2015 election.

    “No, it won’t occur here because our people are enlightened and our party will continue to sensitise the masses on their civic rights to vote and choose who should lead them.

    “Nobody is afraid of security or intimidation. Everybody will fight for his or her right, so nobody should be denied a PVC. If you have been captured and registered, you should be given a PVC. It is the responsibility of the government to provide for the needs of the people.”

  • 500,000 voter cards have been cloned, says APC

    500,000 voter cards have been cloned, says APC

    About 500,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been cloned in Osun State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday.

    It said the cards, which were either unclaimed, not handed over to the authentic owners or were obtained fraudulently, were cloned to rig Saturday’s poll.

    In a statement yesterday, APC National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed said: “These cloned cards, mostly in the hands of persons from states other than Osun, are to be used along with the authentic PVCs issued to the electorate during Saturday’s election.

    “Already, we can confirm that the hundreds of thousands of people in possession of these cloned cards all over Nigeria, especially in states neighbouring Osun, are being induced monetarily and instructed to super impose their photographs on the cloned PVCs.

    “The game plan is for them to arrive early at polling booths on the election day, where conniving electoral officials will turn a blind eye to this fraud by not checking whether or not the names of these impersonators with cloned cards are on the voters registers before accrediting them to vote at the expense of the genuine owners of the cards.

    “According to the dubious plan, unscrupulous security agents – both official and unofficial – will be at hand to brutalise, arrest and detain any agent or voter who may want to challenge this illegality.”

    “We urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), if it is not part of this diabolical plan, to ensure that only voters registers used to issue out PVCs to voters up till August 4 are used to conduct the election.

    “We demand that copies of these registers, which are already in possession of local government electoral officers, be made available to all political parties, at least, 72 hours before the election. Anything short of using the registers containing the names of the authentic voters will not be acceptable.”

    The APC thanked residents for providing information that will thwart rigging plans and ensure a credible poll.

    Urging the people to be vigilant, it said: “Their desperation knows no bounds, hence they will do anything, no matter how illegal, to thwart the will of the people. But no power is bigger than the people’s power and no inducement is worth anyone’s conscience. The votes of the people of Osun must not only be counted, but must count on Saturday.”

     

  • INEC distributes permanent voter cards in Ekiti, Osun

    Over one million (1, 108,495) Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were distributed this week by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the people who registered in 2011 in Ekiti and Osun states.

    A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr Kayode Idowu, on Thursday in Abuja said the distributed cards were from 1,913,825 cards printed for the two states.

    It said the commission had also conducted Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) for those who had just turned 18 years in the two states

    According to the statement, the distribution is in preparation for the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun scheduled to hold in June 21 and Aug. 9 respectively.

    It said “the cards were distributed at the polling unit level, namely at the existing 2,195 polling units in Ekiti and the 3, 010 polling units in Osun.

    “The CVR was conducted at the Registration Area Centre (Ward) level of which Ekiti has 177 and Osun, 332,’’ it said.

    It added that in Ekiti, the Continuous Voter Registration was conducted in 29 existing polling units with less than 100 registered voters.

    “While in Osun, it was conducted in 59 existing polling units where there were no data of registrants from the 2011 exercise, and seven other polling units that had less than 100 registered voters.’’

  • IPAC urges free, fair poll

    IPAC urges free, fair poll

    Jega: 20 million permanent voter cards delivered

    INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof Attahiru Jega has said 20 million permanent voter cards (PVCs) have been delivered into the country.

    He said the commission would soon begin a voter and civic education programme for specific groups, such as traditional institutions, religious groups, faith-based institutions, labour unions across the country.

    Jega spoke yesterday at the Geo-Gold Hotels in Awka, Anambra State, at a workshop by Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), in partnership with INEC.

    The workshop was organised to sensitise voters on Saturday’s election.

    INEC chairman’s address was read by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Delta State, Dame Gesila E.O. Khan.

    He said with the PVCs, irregularities and challenges would be addressed.

    Jega said INEC was being restructured in five strategic directions, including providing electoral operations, system and infrastructure.

    The IPAC Chairman and National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Dr. Yunusa Tanko, said they were only interested in a violent-free election, adding that they abhorred ballot box snatching, blackmail and mudslinging.

    He said the Anambra election was a litmus test for INEC, parties and Nigerians, adding that the indigenes should show the world that a credible poll could be conducted in the state.

    The Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Ndi Obi, said based on the attitude of Anambra indigenes, the election would be free, fair and credible.