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Amid last minute rush to register for the Permanent Voters Card (PVC), registrants in Owerri have appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to further extend the exercise by two weeks to enable them participate in the 2023 general elections.
The registrants, who thronged the various registration centres in their hundreds to beat Sunday deadline, said the many Nigerians could be disenfranchised if the registration was not extended.
This reporter, who monitored the exercise on Saturday in Owerri, reports that there was massive turn out of people at the INEC head office, Ikeduru and Assumpta Catholic church in a last minute move to register.
A registrant, Mr Hygenus Udeagu, who said he came to change his PVC to a new polling unit, expressed worry that he had not been able to achieve his aim since arriving INEC office at 7:00 a.m.
“I don’t know why it is taking too long; I have been moving from one point to another without achieving anything.
“They don’t have enough capturing machines and computers to attend to the hundreds of people here in a day.
“Sometimes, they say no network and their staff attending to people are not enough,” he said, while explaining that he came to the centre because he could not complete the process online.
Another registrant, Miss Goodness Ibegbu, said it was her third attempt in different centres to register for the PVC.
According to her, I came to INEC office today thinking it will be easier, but I have been on the queue since morning.
“Even as a corps member, I was told there is no consideration for us. I have been beaten by the sun and rain because of PVC,” she said.
Ibegbu urged INEC to employ younger persons who are knowledgeable with computer system to improve and quicken the registration process.
She also appealed for the extension of the registration process by another two weeks to enable those who are yet to register do so.
But in his reaction, INEC National Commissioner supervising Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi states, Chief Kenneth Ukeagu, said the commission has no plan to further extend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
Ukegbu, who also monitored the exercise in some centres in the state, explained that the commission needed to conclude the registration exercise to move into the next phase.
“The exercise which started in June last year ought to have ended on June 30 but was extended to July 31.
“There are other processes that comes after the field work to ensure that those, who registered get their Permanent Voters Card (PVC).
“All these activities will be useless, if the people who have registered do not get their PVC; certainly, as at today, there is no plan for extension,” the commissioner said.
He expressed satisfaction with the turnout of registrants, the functionality of the machines as well as the entire registration process.
Ukeagu, who later met with some members of staff of the commission in Owerri, assured all registrants who came out for the exercise that the commission would do it’s best to register them.