By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the devolution of collection of Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs to registration areas, (electoral wards).

Recall that the Commission had between November 28 to December 2, 2022 held a retreat in Lagos with all the Administrative Secretaries and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

At the retreat, the Commission finalised the procedure as well as the timetable for collection of PVCs and consequently the collection of PVCs commenced in all the 774 Local Government Offices of the Commission throughout the Federation.

The Commission also resolved to devolve PVC collection to the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from Friday 6th to Sunday 15th January 2023.

A statement by Festus Okoye Esq National Commissioner and Chairman. Information and Voter Education Committee said the devolution of PVC collection to the wards will kickstart today, 6th January 2023.

The Commission urged all validly registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs to seize the opportunity of the devolution to the wards to do so, adding that will revert to the Local Government Offices of the Commission after the 15th of January 2023 until January 22nd, 2023.

The statement added: "All eligible and valid registrants can collect their PVCs from 9.00am to 3.00pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.

"All those that applied for replacement of lost, damaged, or defaced PVCs can collect their PVCs at the Registration Area/wards during this period and the same thing applies to those that registered prior to the 2019 general election and are yet to collect their cards.

"The PVCs of those that applied for transfer are available for collection in the Local Governments and Registration Areas where they intend to vote and not in the State or Local Government where they carried out the transfer."

The Commission further applauded the patience and understanding of Nigerians who trooped to its various Local Government Offices to collect their PVCs, saying that in making the cards available for collection, the Commission is also working to ensure that the process is simple and hitch-free for Nigerians.

Update news