The Independent National Electoral Commission said on Thursday that it had distributed 1,431,500 (75 per cent) of the 1,911,332 Permanent Voter Cards in Delta State.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mr.Aniedi-Abasi Ikiowak, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Asaba.
Ikiowaak said the PVCs were printed after the 2010 voter registration conducted in the state.
He said the distribution of the 479,832 unclaimed PVCs had continued in all the wards in the 25 local government areas of the state.
The resident electoral commissioner urged those yet to collect their PVCs to do so immediately.
Ikiowaak said, “I have instructed electoral officers to distribute these cards even in markets and churches provided that the owners will sign attestation documents.
“INEC in the state has ensured actual distribution of the cards and demonstrated willingness to do so, to ensure that all registered voters get their cards.
“I want to emphasize that we cannot be stampeded into distributing cards by proxy. I appeal to those yet to collect theirs to go to where they registered and collect their cards.
“That is the only thing that will enable them to vote at the forthcoming elections and it is their civic obligation to do that.”
Ikiowak, however, explained that some of the unclaimed cards belonged to those who had relocated from Delta or transferred their voting points from Delta to other states.
The REC said it was possible that owners of some of the yet-to-be claimed cards were deceased.
He explained that the commission had found out that some of them belonged to some students of tertiary institutions in the state who had left the state after graduation.
Ikiowak further told NAN that the commission had received 365, 280 additional PVCs for those that registered during the last continuous registration in the state and others who transferred to Delta.
He said the additional cards were being sorted and distribution would commence by weekend.
He said that the state had also received 4380 card readers to be used in the 3624 polling units in the state, pointing out that some of them were reserves.
The resident electoral commissioner said that 22,000 ad hoc staff drawn from members of the NYSC, staff of Federal Government-owned establishments in the state would be engaged for the Feb. 14 and Feb. 28 polls.
Ikiowak expressed optimism that the commission would ensure free, fair and credible elections in the state.
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