Group Questions High PVCs Collection Rate In The North

A GROUP, Move on Nigeria, has questioned the high rate of collection of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) in the northern parts of the country as against the southern parts going by the figure released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as at February 2. 

  Addressing a press conference Friday, the group specifically accused the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, of “playing a poker with the distribution of PVCs” across the country.

  National Coordinator of the group, Clement Aguiyi, challenged the INEC helmsman to come clean on why some northern states have recorded 80 per cent collection rate when some states in the south were hovering around 50 per cent. 

  Aguiyi said: “We make bold to say that Prof. Jega is playing poker with the distribution of PVCs. Jega has decided to help the All Progressives Congress (APC) rig the elections by depriving parts of the country that would traditionally vote for President Jonathan of their PVCs, while the parts of the country that would traditionally vote for Buhari are armed with PVCs.”

    He queried:  “Why are the PVCs collection rates in the North Central, South South, South West and South East much lower with the highest being 57 per cent? Is it because these geopolitical zones may be pro-Jonathan? 

 Why does the North West zone, which includes Katsina (Buhari’s home state), have the highest collection rate of 80 per cent? How come the North East also has 75 per cent collection rate when this region includes Boko Haram-terrorised territory (Adamawa, Yobe and Bornu States)? Did the internally displaced persons come back there to collect their PVCs?

  “Why is it that North Central, which includes states like Plateau and Benue, that may vote traditionally PDP has a collection rate of 48 per cent when North East and North West have between 75 to 80 per cent collection rates?”