Some 483,868 registered voters in Edo State will not be able to exercise their civic responsibility in the September 19 governorship election in the state as they will not be able to collect their permanent voter cards (PVCs).
Tina Obamogie, public affairs officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo State, made the disclosure in Benin City, the state capital, ahead of the governorship election in the state.
Obamogie said INEC could not distribute the PVC because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ravaging the country, adding that the commission would rely on the 2019 voters’ register which has 2,210,334 registered voters.
“There are 483,868 unclaimed Permanent Voter Cards, but due to the ongoing scourge of coronavirus pandemic, this is not the period to distribute PVCs. Anything that has to do with the collection is not done this period because of COVID-19,” Obamogie said.
“We had the intention to distribute before the lockdown but we are considering the safety of lives this period. For that reason, we would rely on the 2019 voters’ register which has 2,210,334 registered voters,” she said.
She also disclosed that the state office of INEC has distributed the non-sensitive materials received from the national headquarters of the commission to the state’s 18 local government areas for the election.
“I also want to disclose that the commission has received non-sensitive materials and we have distributed them to the respective LGAs,” she said.
