INEC, however, added that out of 1,991,344 registered voters, 1,729,641 have collected their PVCs in the state
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), has said despite the upcoming November 16 governorship election in Ondo State, over 261,703 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), are yet to be picked up by voters in the state.
This was disclosed over the weekend by the Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, while addressing stakeholders at a meeting organised by the Commission in Akure, the state capital.
According to her, out of 1,991,344 registered voters, 1,729,641 have collected their PVCs in the state.
Babalola went on to tell voters and the political parties that all the 210 centres that will be opened for the CVR exercise have been identified, listed, and published on INEC website.
The REC added that 18 political parties are participating in the November 16 gubernatorial polls in the state.
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Also speaking during the meeting, the INEC National Commissioner supervising Ondo, Ogun and Osun States, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, appealed to election stakeholders to mobilize prospective registrants for the upcoming Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ahead of the governorship election in the State.
Ajayi particularly urged the stakeholders comprising the representatives of media houses, civil society organisations, political parties, security agencies and People Living with Disabilities on the need to assist the commission in sensitizing prospective registrants to register early, not engage in double registration, and for parents to warn or prevent their wards from engaging in underage registration.
Ajayi who recalled that the commission announced the plan to resume the CVR as part of its preparations for the election in the state, said the last CVR exercise ended in July 2022, before the 2023 general elections.
The new CVR exercise will commence from Monday May 27 to Wednesday June 5, 2024, from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm daily, including the weekend.
Ajayi said: ”The Commission believes that within this period, there would have been a lot of young boys and girls who would have grown to the constitutionally approved voting age of 18 years and any other eligible voters who have been unable to register during the previous CVR exercises would be able to take advantage of this CVR to do so.”