231,900 PVCs in Gombe remain uncollected — INEC

According to a statement made on Wednesday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, no less than 231,900 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain to be collected in Gombe State.

The discovery was revealed at a briefing at the Commission’s headquarters by Umar Ibrahim, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of the State.

In order to vote in the 2023 elections, he advised the registered voters to pick up their PVCs.

According to the REC, Gombe State had 231,900 uncollected PVCs as of December 20, 2022.

Additionally, he exhorted everyone who had registered, transferred, updated their biodata, or asked for replacements for missing or damaged PVCs to go pick up their PVCs.

The REC clarified that there have been difficulties in the Commission’s preparation.

He emphasised that there were measures in place to guarantee that run-offs were completed if they were required and noted that the Commission would prefer not to abrogate the procedure.

Ibrahim stated, “That will wait until that time because we can’t say there will be run-off or there will not be run-off elections but when the time comes, INEC is fully prepared for it.”

The Commission, he claimed, has always been dedicated to impartial, trustworthy polling, but he denounced the routine burning of its buildings.

He continued by saying that the shameful burning of their buildings in several regions of the nation was an intentional action designed to instil fear in Nigerians and deter the Commission from carrying out its constitutional responsibility.

He gave the assurance that the Commission would stay steadfast and dedicated to holding free, fair, credible, inclusive, and accountable elections in 2023 that would make all Nigerians proud.