BusinessDay 08 Apr 2018

2019 Watch
Sunday 08 April 2018
SABY ELEMBA, Owerri
Shekarau, the
mathematical
politician
7.9 million PVCs still uncollected
in INEC offices nationwide
… as 2019 countdown begins
KELVIN UMWENI & UJU IKEDIONU
As 2019 general election
draws near, one
would ordinarily have
thought that Nigerians
should by now
show relentless efforts towards
collecting the most pertinent
item, the Permanent Voters Card
(PVCs), they wield to effect changes
in the governance structure that
they perhaps believe have not
lived up to expectations.
But the current level of political
apathy expressed via the low
collection rates of PVCs across
most states is rather too sad and
pathetic.
A recent statistics released by
the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) showed
that out of about 8.3 million uncollected
Permanent Voters Card
(PVCs) in 2016, only 121,097 PVCs
have been collected so far as at
22nd March, 2018 (compared to
230,175 collected in 2017) leaving
a total of 7.9 million PVCs uncollected.
Eight of the 36 states of the
country contributes more than
half (56 per cent) to the 7.9 million
uncollected PVCs as at 2018 with
five of this eight states being South
Western states of Lagos, Oyo,
Ogun, Ondo and Osun. The other
three states include Edo, Imo and
Rivers states.
A state-by-state breakdown
of the figures showed that Lagos
State, the commercial nerve centre
of Nigeria leads in terms of
uncollected PVCs with about 1.40
million PVCs – compared to 1.42
million PVCs as at 2016 – lying
uncollected at the various INEC
offices in the state, representing
17.7percent of the total uncollected
PVCs nationwide.
This was closely followed by
APC stakeholders commend Araraume’s kind gesture in Imo
…Excited at his huge donation
Days after the historic
party meeting of the
All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Imo
State, stakeholders have continued
to applaud Senator Ifeanyi
Araraume over his kind gestures
to the party in the state.
This is coming at the heels of
Mahmood Yakubu
Oyo state with 647,586 uncollected
PVCs in March relative to 663,053
uncollected PVCs as at 2016.
In Edo and Ogun states, a total of
12,142 and 7,928 PVCs have been
collected so far with a colossal
449,001 and 426,890 respectively
yet to be collected though the latter
has recorded progress as the
total collected PVCs figure for first
quarter of 2018 alone (3,979) has
exceeded that for the whole of 2017
(3,949).
So far, states that have recorded
improvement in terms of PVC collection
rates according to calculations
by BusinessDay are Anambra
(51%), Kogi (14.2%), Ebonyi (14%)
and Bayelsa (12%) states. The improvement
in PVC collection rates
in Anambra state was due to the
recently concluded gubernatorial
election held last year.
Conversely, states with poor
collection rates include Zamfara
(0.1%), Taraba (0.4%), Niger
(0.6%), Sokoto (0.7%) and Kaduna
(0.8%).
PVC collection rate is measured
as the proportion of total collected
PVCs in 2017 and first quarter 2018
to the uncollected PVCs as at 2016.
a thank you visit the Isiebu-born
politician has been receiving from
APC party officials and stakeholders
drawn from the three zones of
the state.
Recall that at the party’s SEC
meeting under the control of the
APC state chairman, Hillary Eke,
held at Concorde Hotel, Owerri
recently, Araraume displayed his
unshaken magnanimity to improve
the lot of the party ahead
next year’s general election when
he donated the sum of N20million
during the fund-raising organised
at the event.
The donation of the senator
was greeted with wild jubilation
which necessitated the spontaneous
follow up of solidarity visits
to him from party faithful across
the state.
C002D5556
28
One reason cited by most people
especially those living in Lagos
which has the highest number of
uncollected PVCs is the level of
commitment required by their
jobs so much so that they barely
had time to go to the nearest centres
to get their PVCs.
INEC averred that the important
role that Continuous Voters
Register (CVR) officials play in
the electoral process noting that
“the manner in which they discharge
their duties will affect the
confidence of the citizens in the
electoral process and the electoral
authority. They are expected to
be courteous, polite, helpful at all
times, treat all persons equally and
with respectful”.
Unfortunately, the unfriendly
attitude displayed by some INEC
officials is enough to get frustrated
with the process of not only collecting
PVCs but also registering
to be an eligible voter.
There seems to be an information
gap between those who are
yet to collect their PVCs and INEC
itself. Most Nigerians are unaware
of the whole electoral process visà-vis
when and where to pick up
their PVCs.
The CVR Principles according
to INEC categorically stated that
“PVC of those registered in first
quarter (Q1) should be ready for
collection in third quarter (Q3),
and second quarter should be
ready in fourth quarter (Q4) etc.”
The pertinent question we ought
to ask ourselves is: How many
Nigerians are aware of this modus
operandi and to what extent is
INEC complying with this?
Essentially, INEC should step
up its game towards curbing
this trend by capturing phone
numbers and email addresses of
registered voters so as to notify
them when their PVCs are ready
and where to pick them up.
The donation was the climax of
the event before he, alongside the
National Organising Secretary,
Senator Osita Izunaso, took permission
to leave for other urgent
engagements.
The stakeholders have expressed
joy that Araraume has
the capacity to shoulder the responsibility
of the party ahead
2019 election.
Ukwa Ngwa youths
endorse Ikpeazu for
second term
UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia
27
Youths from the nine local
government areas that
make up Ukwa Ngwa
political bloc have called
on the Governor of Abia, Okezie
Ikpeazu, to make himself available
to contest the governorship position
of the state in 2019 to complete
his developmental strides.
The youth, who made the call
during a youth rally they organised
at Ngwa High School, Aba, to
endorse the governor for a second
term in office, noted that for now
there is no vacancy at the Government
House, Umuahia.
The youth, who spoke through
their vice chairman, Ginger Onwusibe,
said that their decision
to prevail on the governor to
run stemmed from the numerous
achievements he had so far
recorded in various facets of the
state’s economy including empowering
youths, constructing
roads, promotion of made-in-Aba
goods, noting especially that Ikpeazu
remains the only governor
in the country who is still in good
terms with his predecessor.
“This shows that he is doing well
and that any good deed deserves
reciprocation and thanks,” the
group said.
Ikpeazu, in his speech, stated
that he remains committed to
rendering service to the people
of the state.
He maintained that his work
would speak for him in 2019. Governor
of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose applauded
Ikpeazu for embarking on
human capital and infrastructural
development and implored him to
continue in that vein.
“I want to assure you that if you
continue like this you will go far,”
Fayose said.
Former Governor of Abia State,
Theodore A. Orji disclosed that Ikpeazu
whom he discovered about
10 years ago and insisted that he
would be governor had done well
and made the state proud and
urged him to keep up the tempo.
Earlier, Uche Ikonne, chairman
of the occasion and vice chancellor
of Abia State University, said
that the governor had embarked
on infrastructural and human
capacity building, describing the
rally as a celebration of success
by a youthful and performing
governor.
Christopher Enweremadu,
commissioner for Local Government
and Chieftaincy Affairs, had
earlier moved a motion on behalf
of the youth that there is no vacancy
at the Government House
in 2019, seconded by Chinedum
Elechi.