INEC: Harvesting of Voters’ Information Genuine Exercise

•Says it’s part of processes to take inventory of old PVCs

•132,626 remain uncollected in Anambra as commission relocates collation centres

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, acknowledged a viral video circulating of  some of its staff at its FESTAC Town, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area Office, Lagos, extracting Voter Identification Numbers (VINs) from Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and entering same into their cellphones, saying it was a genuine exercise, which formed part of the inventory of uncollected PVCs.

This is as INEC has said some 132,626 PVCs belonging to voters in the 21 local government areas of Anambra State have yet to be collected, even as it disclosed that it had relocated six local government area collation centres due to the insecurity.

However, while noting that the PVCs inventory exercise was genuine and authorised by the commission to complete the collection guidelines, INEC said there was no cause for alarm and warned Nigerians to be ware of fake news and disinformation.

According to INEC, “The makers of the video insinuated that they were doing this for the purpose of undermining the 2023 General Election. The Commission wishes to state categorically that this is far from the truth”.

According to a statement by National Commissioner and chairman of Voter Education, Festus Okoye, “The video shows staff of the Commission harvesting VINs from PVCs, but only as part of an inventory of uncollected cards, provided for in the new guidelines for the management and collection of PVCs, approved by the commission for implementation nationwide. 

“In its determination to enhance the  rate of  collection of PVCs, the  commission decided to establish a PVC collection process that included an online component.

“The procedure entails that registered voters with access to the internet could go to a dedicated portal to ascertain whether their PVCs are ready and to find their locations for subsequent collection.

“All they are required to do is to provide their details such as name, date of birth, state of registration or the last six digits of the VINs that they provided/received during registration, to locate their cards,” Okoye explained.

He said this would improve the PVC collection process, without prejudice to those, who wished to go directly to the collection centres.

“For the newer PVCs, that is, those from the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) that took place between January and July 2022, the VINs were harvested automatically and made available online.

“However, for the older uncollected PVCs  that predate the new guidelines, their VINs must be harvested manually and painstakingly for upload to the PVC collection portal (www.voters.inecnigeria.org). The portal will also improve the records of the Commission regarding collected and uncollected PVCs,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Anambra, Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu, yesterday at a meeting with stakeholders at the state headquarters of the commission, listed the affected local councils as Ihiala, Nnewi South, Onitsha North, Orumba North, Awka North and Awka South.

Agwu, who addressed all political parties’ representatives, traditional rulers, and civil society groups, said, “The collation of PVCs has been extended to Saturdays and Sundays in Anambra State. We need enough security to carry out this function. If people fail to collect their PVCs, they will be shortchanging themselves and doing a disservice to the people of their area.”

She added that, “The 2023 general election will be free, fair and credible, not only in Anambra State but the entire country. We have done the necessary work, and we hope to deliver.”

According to her, 1,960 PVCs have not been collected in Ayamelum, 6,222 in Dunukofia, and 4,589 in Idemili South. In Anaocha, 885 PVCs remain uncollected, 6,656 in Orumba South, 12,274 in Onitsha South, 16,256 in Idemili North, 12,675 in Aguata, 7,009 in Njikoka, 10,755 in Ogbaru and Anambra East, 7,717.

Others were Nnewi South (1,841), Awka North (1,153), Anambra West (1,387), Orumba North (2,393), Oyi (7,982), Onitsha North (9,990), Ihiala (4,058), Nnewi North (8,700), Ekwusigo (3,350) and Awka South (4,971).