The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised people who have registered for their permanent voter cards (PVCs) to collect them on time, maintaining the “no PVC, no vote” rule.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Katsina State, Professor Ibrahim Yahaya-Makarfi, made this appeal in an interview in Katsina on Sunday.
According to him, the commission will not allow anyone who can not present his/her PVC at the designated polling centers to vote during the 2023 general elections.
He further revealed that INEC suspended the continuous voter registration on 31 July because it was a process of recording and compiling the required details of the electorate.
Mr Yahaya-Makarfi affirmed that the exercise was carried out to allow all eligible Nigerians to register and collect their PVCs and to enable them to vote for candidates of their choice during the general elections.
He disclosed that Section 16(1) of the Electoral Act empowers the commission to register, print, and issue PVC to everyone whose name appears on the register of voters.
Yahaya-Makarfi further announced that the commission will commence the distribution of the PVCs from the 12th of December, 2022 through the 22nd of January, 2023.
The REC thereafter called on all eligible and valid registered electorates to be at the various collection centres to collect their PVCs between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily, including Saturdays and Sundays, within the stipulated period.
✍️ Timileyin Okunlola
