By Chiemeka Green, Yenagoa
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said a total of 33,874 Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs were not collected by their respective owners at the end of the PVC collection exercise preparatory to the conduct of the Bayelsa State governorship election.
This was just as the INEC disclosed that 867, 088 voters are expected to cast their votes in the governorship poll scheduled for November 16.
INEC’s supervising commissioner for Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers States, Mrs. May Agbamuche, announced the figures at the presentation ceremony of the official voters register for the election in Yenagoa on Monday.
A breakdown of the eight local government areas showed that Yenagoa LGA had 199,895 registered voters but 180, 263 PVCs were collected leaving 19,632 PVCs uncollected; in Southern Ijaw LGA,165,449 voters registered, 164,844 PVCs collected, 605 PVCs are still with INEC, Ekeremor LGA has 125,189 voters registered, 123, 562 PVCs collected and 1,627 PVCs uncollected.
Ogbia LGA has 109,903 registered voters, 108,691 PVCs collected and 1,212 PVCs remain uncollected; Sagbama LGA has 109,460 registered voters, 105, 705 PVCs collected while 3,755 PVCs remain with INEC; Nembe LGA has 92,717 registered voters, 89,866 PVCs collected, leaving 2,851 PVCs uncollected; Brass LGA has 67, 804, registered voters, 65,900 PVCs collected and 1,904 PVCs left, while Kolokuma/ Opokuma LGA recorded 52,765 registered voters, 50,477 PVCs were collected and 2,288 PVCs uncollected.
Agbomuche said the publication of the voters’ register was in line with Nigeria’s laws and the timetable and schedule of activities for the governorship election previously released by the electoral umpire and in compliance with the provisions of Section 20 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended).
She urged stakeholders to, as a matter of responsibility, ensure that all registered voters were informed of the publication of the voters’ register.
Agbamuche said a total of 923,182 voters were registered in Bayelsa State at the end of the 2017 and 2018 Continuous Voter Registration exercises but only 867,088 voters picked up their PVCs.
The supervising commissioner emphasized that the PVC and smart card readers were mandatory tools for the conduct of the governorship poll.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Udoh Tom Monday, explained that the purpose of the publication of the voters’ register was for stakeholders to ensure that the governorship election was free, fair, credible and violence-free.
The REC, who was represented at the event by the administrative secretary, Mr. Edwin Enaboh, assured the people that the commission was 99 per cent prepared for the election as it has put necessary machinery in place for the conduct of the exercise.
At the event, soft copies of the voters’ register were presented to the 45 political parties whose candidates were cleared by the commission to contest the governorship poll.
