Religious leaders in Nigeria have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently consider extending the deadline for permanent voter’s cards (PVCs) collection at the ward level beyond the January 15 deadline, or over 6,000,000 Nigerians would be disenfranchised because all PVCs are yet to arrive at some states and local government offices.
The president of Baptist Convention and president of All Africa Baptist Fellowship, Rev. Israel Akanji, who spoke on behalf of other religious leaders during an Interfaith press conference organised by Community Life Project (CLP)/ReclaimNaija in collaboration with religious leaders in Abuja, said that INEC owes it a duty to ensure that no citizen is denied access to their PVCs due to administrative lapses, delays, or inefficiency in the distribution process.
He said as the 2023 general election comes inexorably closer with each passing day, it has become imperative to point out the absolute necessity to get it right at the various stages and processes from pre-election to election day, as well as, post-election.
“We note with some satisfaction that the distribution of voters’ cards has continued across the country after some delays to the previous schedules by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“We observe that in the early stages of the collection process, it had not gone without hitches. However, we are happy that a smoother process has been instituted and is working better, but we must state that there are still stories of frustrations from many Nigerians over the slow process.
“There are still stories reflecting the old politics of PVC distribution where in some State and LG offices it is said that people are deliberately denied access to their PVCs based on ethnic or partisan considerations, which indicate manipulations to disenfranchise citizens. In some places, citizens have had to make several visits and/or wait for long hours before collecting their PVCs.
“Many new registrants or those who transferred to new polling units are being told to return in mid-January. We urge INEC to improve on observed lapses. If this is not done, then the fear will heighten that a large percentage of the over six million voters without PVCs will be disenfranchised,” he said.
According to them, INEC owes it a duty to ensure that no citizen is denied access to their PVCs due to administrative lapses, delays, or inefficiency in the distribution process.
The religious leaders further said that the situation of people with disabilities is a matter of critical importance that demands increased attention by INEC to ensure that every aspect of the commission’s policies and regulations take into account persons with disabilities (PWDs).
G-5 Governors Have Not Resolved To Work For Atiku – Ortom
BY HEMBADOON ORSAR, Makurdi
Benue State governor Samuel Ortom has debunked online reports that he and his G-5 colleagues have resolved to support the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The governor who spoke through his adviser on media and publicity, Terver Akase said, “We read a fictitious online report which claimed that the governor, Ortom and his colleagues in the G-5 have resolved to work for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Abubakar to win the 2023 election.
“Manufacturers of the said report were apparently on a desperate mission to score a cheap political point as the said report could not mention the place and date of the said meeting of G-5 Governors who have chosen the path of justice, fairness and equity.”
According to him the writers only sought to take advantage of the crisis within the PDP for their selfish purposes because Governor Ortom and other members of the G-5 have not endorsed the said presidential candidate.
“When the governor met with the expanded state caucus of PDP yesterday January 9, 2023 at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, his message to them was crystal clear that the national leadership of PDP has failed to utilize its internal conflict resolution mechanism which has led to the crisis rocking the party. He maintained that if the crisis is not resolved before the elections, he would be left with no other option than to take a stand on the matter. The governor added that he would not impose his decision on members of the party in the state.
“The stakeholders of zones A, B and C who were present pledged to find ways of resolving the internal crisis rocking the party while assuring the governor that they would continue to stand with him through thick and thin,” he said.
He urged members of the public to disregard the online report which he described as fake and false.
