By John Ikani
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it is extending the deadline for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to February 5, 2023.
A statement issued by Festus Okoye, a National Commissioner with the electoral body, revealed that the decision was made after a meeting of INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
The statement which noted that it is the last extension of the exercise, added that collection period will start at 9 am and end at 5 pm daily including Saturdays and Sundays.
While urging Nigerians who have not yet collected their PVCs to do so, the commission assured that it will act on any reported cases of sharp practices during the ongoing PVC collection.
What INEC is saying
“Arising from reports from the various States and discussions with Resident Electoral Commissioners, the Commission has decided to further extend PVC collection in all its Local Government Offices nationwide by an additional one week. The ongoing collection of PVCs nationwide will therefore continue and end on 5th February 2023,” Okoye said in a statement on Saturday.
“This is the second time the Commission is extending PVC collection nationwide and this will be the last extension of the exercise. The collection period has further been extended by an additional two hours and will start at 9 am and end at 5 pm daily including Saturdays and Sundays.
“The Commission once again salutes the patience and doggedness of citizens,” Okoye’s statement added.
“The Commission will continue to act on all reported cases of sharp practices during the ongoing PVC collection and will ensure that no Nigerian is disadvantaged and all those that carried out valid registration have an opportunity of collecting their PVCs,” it concludes.
