PVCs: We’re Not Aware Of Restrictions At Lagos Registration Centres — INEC

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Lagos State chapter said it is not aware that people seeking to register and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), ahead of the 2023 General Election holding in the country, encountered any form of problems at the Agege office of the commission, Wednesday morning.

The electoral umpire said this in reaction to a claim posted by Mr Bola Bolawole, a columnist with the Nigerian Tribune newspaper on his Facebook page, which has gone viral.

Bolawole, who is also a former Editor of Punch newspapers, described the situation at the Agege office of INEC as rowdy, riotous and frustrating as people, according to him, who were instructed to, as early as 5 am, arrived at the venue to put down their names for new registration for PVC.

He said the INEC had slated to register only a maximum of 70 names for the day, adding: “They (people) must then come back at 8 am for the next procedure.”

“Coming back at 8 am, this is what you find! Is it like this all over the country? Is this a function of lack of the required personnel or a deliberate effort to prevent eligible voters from entering the roll?

“Is this the experience in other parts of the country? Most of the intending voters are youths with a spattering of oldies. Will INEC extend the closing date for registration?

“Should the authorities not be happy that voter apathy is receding and people are getting interested in the political process?” he queried.

“Voters’ apathy endangers democracy while a vibrant political system is nurtured by people’s participation. The good health of the political system depends on the people’s participation. That is the best way to protect, promote and nurture our renascent democracy. Which way, Nigeria?” he added.

Spokesperson of Lagos INEC, Nike Oriowo, who spoke with Tribune Online on the telephone, said no such report having to do with rowdiness, riot or whatever was brought to the notice of the commission’s headquarters in the state, declaring that the commission was not aware of such ugly development.

Oriowo further dismissed the claim in the Facebook page that the commission planned to entertain a maximum of only 70 people for the whole day, saying nothing could be far from the truth with such a statement.

According to her, the porter would open from 9 am, it remains open till 7 pm when it shuts down, saying the staffers of the commission work all through the time duration to ensure people who showed up were registered for their PVCs, just as she pointedly declared that INEC placed no restrictions on the total number of people that should get registered daily at designated centres until the deadline for continuous voter registration exercise closed.

“Who said they were going to attend to only 74 people? No, once your porter opens by 9 am, till 7 pm when the porter will automatically shut down by itself, registration would go on. No restrictions on the number of voters that would get registered daily,” she said.