By Milcah Tanimu

In the lead-up to the governorship election in Edo State scheduled for September 21, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported a significant increase in the collection of new Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs). Over the past five days, 125,928 PVCs have been distributed, marking a notable milestone.

According to Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, this figure represents 68.3% of the 184,438 newly printed PVCs made available during the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

Olumekun highlighted that this collection rate is the highest recorded by INEC for off-cycle governorship elections since the CVR program’s inception in 2015. He praised the coordinated efforts that facilitated the smooth distribution process across all 192 wards in Edo State from August 22 to August 26.

“The successful completion of the PVC collection at the ward level reflects our enhanced strategy,” Olumekun stated. “We have systematically organized the PVCs by Polling Units, Wards, and LGAs, and have made the collection register accessible on our website to ensure transparency and efficiency.”