November 28, 2014 – Lagos State Governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola has described his inability as well as those of many in Surulere to collect their Permanent Voter Card (PVC) as an attempt to decimate the voting population of Lagos.
Fashola who spoke at Girls High School, Itolo, Surulere, Lagos noted that notwithstanding the unavailability of PVC, residents of Lagos have temporary PVCs.
He appealed to those who have temporary cards to hold it and wait for INEC.
“We have our temporary voter card, so we are waiting for INEC because they registered over 6 million of us in 2011. So no matter what happens, we have our temporary cards, they can’t run away from that.
“Whether they like it or not, we will have elections in this country and we will vote. Irrespective of whatever Jega and his team may be doing, we will vote.
“We won’t allow them to bring this democracy down. But we will wait and see how they manage it and I will come back and address that. Those who have temporary voters card should keep their temporary voters card, we will vote’, he said.
The governor said from his very first election there is always a problem adding that it is either collusion, inefficiency or both.
He also queried the value of fresh registration since INEC has failed to produce his PVC.
“What is the value of fresh exercise, the one you registered me in 2011 you cannot produce, PVC” he said adding that what has happened is an attempt to deliberately decimate the voting population of Lagos state.
“So everybody who has that temporary card should hold it, those who don’t have and they are above 18 we will provide them a means to take part in this election”, he said.
The governor said that activities of INEC has always been fraught with errors and appealed to INEC to use the temporary cards if it is not ready to use the PVC for elections.
