INEC begins distribution of PVCs in Ogun state

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in Ogun State today began the distribution of the permanent voters cards,PVC across the State. It also warned politicians and political parties in the state as the preparations for the 2015 general elections are in top gear.

Addressing a press conference at the Commission’s headquarters in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital on Monday, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Sam Olumekun said the commission will resist politicians’ attempts to hijack the process.

He added that adequate security will be put in place for the exercise.

According to him,, “the three day exercise which holds between 7th and 9th November, will include issuance of permanent voters cards to all voters who have been properly captured on the biometric register of voters compiled in 2011 across the 3,210 polling units in the state.

“Between 12th and 17th November, the commission will also embark on continuous voters exercise to capture those who were underaged during the last exercise and others who did not take part,”the REC stated.

Olumekun also explained that the exercise will also take care of those whose biometric data were not fully captured and those whose names were in the addendum list.

He explained that registrants who could not found their names on the registers lists need not worry as they will be allowed to be captured again during the exercise.

The REC also warned against multiple registration and under age registration saying such acts are against the electoral act and will not be taken with levity.

“We want to assure you and the good people of Ogun State that we are determined not to allow this business to be business as usual, we frown at any attempt to hijack the process and we want to assure you that we will resist it.

“We have made adequate arrangement for security also, every polling units where we are going to distribute the card, we have security attached to it.

“On the issue of multiple registration, it’s not only that we will disenfranchise you if you register more than once, we can also prosecute you for doing so because it is against the provision of electoral act

“The eligible voters, we are trying to capture as many as possible, we have 1.7 million registrants in Ogun State but when we ran the check on the system, it was reduced to 1.3 million registrants in Ogun State.

“It is very important for people to register not only because it is your duty as good citizens, you also have roles to play in the geo-political consideration

“Underage registration, we all know it is against the law but there’s no technology to detect that but we can guess 60 per cent correctly. We have to rely on dates except in cases where we have serious doubts on the age of the registrant,” Olumekun revealed.

On the new polling centres in the state, Olumekun revealed that though, the commission is yet to create additional centres, he added that there is need for such as the state has developed beyond what was captured in 1996.

He however assured that appropriate recommendations will be made to the national body on the commission’s observations.

SOURCE: THE NEWS

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