INEC Has Made Distribution of PVC A Painful Exercise – Fashola

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INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega

November 7, 2014 – The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has accused Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of making distribution of the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) which commenced Friday a painful exercise.

Fashola who made the revelation in his broadcast to residents of the state on Friday said the exercise is painful because INEC is issuing the PVC in only 11 local governments.

“ INEC has decided to make this a painful experience for us in Lagos by announcing that it will only issue Permanent Voters’ Card in the following 11 (Eleven) Local Governments: Agege, Ajeromi- Ifelodun, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikeja, Mushin, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Ibeju-Lekki, Ikorodu,Kosofe and Ojo”, he said.

He expressed deep disappointment at the display of lack of planning that speaks volumes of the contempt and disregard of INEC for the rights of citizens, recalling that it was INEC that first announced that the exercise was planned for August, and later shifted to September, and later to today and yet did not get it right.

INEC has however said that it will commenced distribution of the PVC in the remaining local governments on 28th, 29th, and 30th of November, 2014. The local governments are Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa, Badagry, Oshodi-Isolo, Epe, Shomolu, Surulere and Eti-Osa.

“I can only imagine the level of disappointment that you must all feel, having waited anxiously for this exercise and in spite of the fact that we had declared a work free day. If this is a foretaste of what we should expect in the general elections, for me it is a bad start. It tastes awful”.

Fashola called on residents not to boycott the exercise in the interest of sustaining democracy.

He reiterated that INEC has not answered the question he posed about the delisting of over 1,400,000 (One Million, Four Hundred Thousand) voters from the Register it compiled in 2011 in spite of assurances it gave Nigerians, and billions of naira it expended for the purpose.

“As far as this further messy conduct is concerned, its lame excuse is that 9 (Nine) contractors disappointed it. Who are the contractors? Are they faceless? I think Nigerians deserve to know who they are. The information at my disposal is that all the cards are in Lagos and INEC must explain why it had decided not to distribute all of them”.

While charging the residents in the 11 Local Governments to ensure that they collect the PVCs, the Governor added, “Our love for democracy, and development that it had brought to our State and our lives must be bigger and stronger than our disappointment at a national agency that has let itself down”.

He urged those who registered in the suspended 9 (Nine) Local Governments, to observe the work free day and wait for the new date set by INEC to have the exercise in their areas.

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