Mr Mike Igini, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom says 2,045 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) stolen in Okobo Local Government Area of the state has been reproduced.
Igini stated this during an interactive session with newsmen in Uyo, on Sunday said that the PVC’s would be given to the rightful owners with assurances that no one would be disenfranchised during the elections scheduled to commenced February 16.
Recall that the PVCs were stolen during a mob action that occurred at the 2018 primaries at the council area.
According to Igini, the stolen PVCs would be available before the commencement of the wards registration scheduled to commence on Jannuary 16 in the state.
“We produced them in Abuja to defeat those who think that doing what they want to disenfranchise our people.”
Explaining that the PVCs were stolen where they were kept for safety two months ago, Igini added: “We are printing new ones and they are bringing them this week’’.
He also explained that some of the PVCs would not get to their rightful owners because some may have passed on, travelled out of the state or travelled out of the country.
Igini alleged that some politicians also brought aliens from neighbouring states for registration during the Continuous Voter Registration in the state.
“There were some people brought from neighbouring states to register in the state, so the PVCs of these people would never be collected,” Igini said.
However, he disclosed that 286, 928 PVCs remained unclaimed, adding that over 1.72 million PVCs have so far been collected in the state.
“We saw the impressive marked departure in terms of the number of collected PVCs in the state.
“As at yesterday, we have given out well over 1.72 million PVCs to people in Akwa Ibom. What we have left is just 286, 928 PVCs yet to be collected,” he said.
Igini said that the collection processes would be repeated at the wards and polling units to enable more people to come out for their PVCs, saying that the exercise will last for six days beginning from January 16 to 21.
He said that the commission also uncovered 22 polling units in private homes where politicians used to manipulate elections in the state in the past.
Igini assured that bailout papers and result sheets would be delivered to the various polling units in their original forms, before the commencement of the election in the state.
