As the scramble for the collection of the permanent voters’ cards rages on, with the presidential and National Assembly elections barely one week away, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has refused to extend the deadline for the collection of the PVCs.
Some registered voters in Rivers State have said the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, demand bribe before issuing them their permanent voters’ cards.
This is coming on the heels of the deadline for the collection of the PVCs by voters given by the commission which elapses today.
Recall that the commission in Rivers State explained that the number of uncollected PVCs in the state is standing at about 400,000 out of over 3.3 million registered voters.
However, registered voters who spoke to theportcitynews said they have not collected their PVCs because the staff of the commission request for bribes before handing them their cards.
They said that those who refused to pay were delayed and the process made difficult for prospective voters.
Others blamed the commission for misplacing their cards, adding that the commission had all the time to effect all the desired changes but failed.
In some of the collection centres visited by our correspondent, the complaint were the same; missing or misplaced cards or clumsy processes.
But the commission denied that its staff request for bribes from voters.
Head of voters’ education of the commission, Edwin Enabor, said the commission is doing all it can to clear backlogs of uncollected PVC, adding that the commission is 80 per cent ready to conduct free and fair elections in the state.
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