Members of Women for Truth Organisation (WTO) have protested against the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
WTO leader, Kate Onyechere, said women are not happy with the way the INEC is toying with the fate of the country.
According to her, the report that the INEC gives about the number of PVCs distributed cannot be true because most women nationwide have not got theirs.
She said she has received calls from different parts of the country that millions of women are yet to get their PVCs, and they came to the INEC head office in Lagos to show their displeasure.
In Onyechere’s view, most Nigerians, especially women, would have been disenfranchised if the ballot had not been postponed.
INEC Voters Education Department Head, Ijeoma Igbokwe, thanked the women for making the demonstration peaceful.
She said the INEC is doing everything possible to ensure that all eligible voters participate in the elections on March 28 and April 11, as it is finding ways to make the collection of PVCs less cumbersome.
Before the ballot, she pledged, all registered voters would collect their cards, and urged women to help sensitise people to collect their PVCs.
However, the protesters threatened to sue the INEC to court if it fails to issue them with their PVCs before the elections.
Two weeks ago, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos alleged that many Igbo in Lagos State who registered to vote had not got their PVCs because the INEC refused to release them.
It said many Igbo are unable to exchange their temporary voter cards (TVCs) for the new PVCs because INEC officials refused to release the cards in bulk to Igbo community leaders to deliver to their kinsmen whom they know, whereas the officials have released the cards to Yoruba community leaders.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos President, Fabian Onwughalu, alleged that on request, INEC officials issued in bulk to Yoruba community leaders the PVCs of those they could reach but refused to release the cards to Igbo community leaders.
He alleged that INEC officials are executing strategy to ensure Igbo do not get their PVCs to exercise their franchise.
“Having reviewed the situation for a very long time and after putting so much pressure on the INEC to make these cards easily available to our people to no avail, we have decided to tell Nigerians about this systematic strategy by the INEC to disenfranchise Igbo and ensure that the majority of our people do not participate in the coming elections,” Onwuhalu alleged.
“The act and systematic strategy to disfranchise our people is condemnable, unacceptable, and of course unconscionable.”
He urged the INEC to order its staff in Lagos, especially in councils, to apply equal and same measure to everyone by giving Igbo community leaders and leaders of recognised groups the cards for distribution to their members, as done for Yoruba leaders.
The group suggested to the INEC to “give us the cards for onward delivery to our people because we know them and where they live.
“We are people with addresses and can always be called upon to return these cards or account for them in the event we fail to deliver the cards to the rightful owners.”
In the alternative, it appealed for extension by a few days to enable those who registered to collect their cards.
Asked whether they would seek legal redress if the INEC fails to resolve the issue, they said: “What is important is to draw the attention of the electoral umpire first and allow it to act. Legal threat or redress will make the public think that we are seeking a way to cancel the election. That is not our intention. ”
“We want the INEC to give us equal opportunity to use our PVCs to exercise our civic responsibility. That is all. We believe the INEC has listening ears and they are going to do something; that is why we are making this clarion call.
“Let them find an alternative way to ensure that eligible voters are not disenfranchised.”
The group also suggested that public holidays be declared if it will ensure that eligible voters collect their PVCs to perform their franchise.