Protest rocks Enugu over PVC registration hurdle

Rush for PVC is to vote for LP’s Obi, dump APC, PDP, says Umeh
Hundreds of residents in Enugu State have protested over the frustration they are experiencing in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in the state.

The protesters marched along the road and accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately frustrating them from registering and obtaining their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). They were chanting slogans like, ‘PVC is our right’ ‘PVC is our right,’ as they marched on.

They trooped to INEC’s office in Enugu and demanded that the electoral body deploys enough machines to ease the frustration they are experiencing in the registration exercise.

They insisted that more machines should be provided for Okpara Square, where the crowd was huge.

They lamented that INEC deployed only one machine to service over 2,000 youths, who have been leaving their places of work and business and have had to wait for over eight hours daily, to get registered. 

MEANWHILE, the Senatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Anambra Central Senatorial District, Victor Umeh, has explained that the rush by eligible voters to acquire PVCs is to vote for the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, in the 2023 presidential election.

Umeh, who spoke in a media forum of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council, in Awka, the state capital, yesterday, contended that Nigerians have rated Obi as the best presidential material in the race, adding that the LP candidate will bring solutions to Nigeria’s problems.

He said that four parties, All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), LP and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), are the major parties in the race.

He pointed out that the conduct of APC and PDP presidential primaries have shown that these parties do not have the interest of the South East at heart, regardless of popular demand for rotation of power between North and South.

The former national chairman of APGA, who had joined the LP ahead of the 2023 general elections, clarified that Obi’s choice of running mate is not final.

Explaining further, he said that the submission of Obi’s vice presidential candidate, Dr. Doyin Okupe, might not be final as the next round opens the door for substitution of candidates.