Olu Samuel, Lokoja

The Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet, has expressed worry over low collection of Permanent Voters Cards,PVC since it commenced in September, 2022.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner told journalists at a maiden Press briefing in Lokoja on Wednesday that citizens of the State have not responded positively to INEC’s call for people to go and collect their PVCs.

The REC noted that while the PVCs for those that registered between June 28th and July 31st will be ready this November, the Commission he noted is working very hard to improve the process of PVC Collection and to ensure that Nigerians have a pleasant experience when they are collecting their cards.

He disclosed that the total registered registered voters in the State now stands at 1,939,365, adding that the Commission is working with critical stakeholders to successfully undertake and ensure a hitch free and credible 2023 general election.

While pointing out that the Commission has successfully carried out the distribution of some sensitive and non sensitive election materials, he said the training of personnel who would be handling some of the newly introduced technological devices that have been introduced through the electoral act 2022 is ongoing at National, Zonal, State and Local Government levels.

The Commissioner used the briefing to emphasize that there will be no going back on the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for voter accreditation just as there would be “no going back on the electronic transmission of results to the INEC result Viewing Portal in real time on election day.”

The Commission he explained will in the next few days display the supplementary voter register in all the Wards and Local Government areas of the State.