INEC tasked on credibility as 379,245 PVCs uncollected in Edo

• Edema flays Ighodalo, Okpebholo for boycotting debate
• Rallies electorate against parties

No less than 379,245 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), representing 14.43 per cent, have yet to be collected by voters in Edo ahead of Saturday’s governorship poll in the state, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revealed yesterday.

The commission, however, disclosed that 2,249,780, representing 85.57 per cent, have collected their PVCs at the end of the extended period for PVC collection on Sunday, September 16, 2024.

The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, who disclosed this in a statement, recalled that the commission had announced that the total of registered voters in Edo State is 2,629,025.

He said: “Out of this figure, 2,249,780 (85.57%) have collected their PVCs, while 379,245 (14.43%) of the PVCs are uncollected as at the end of the extended period for PVC collection on Sunday.”

MEANWHILE, INEC has been urged to live up to expectations by conducting credible, free, fair and transparent elections, to avert controversies surrounding past ones.

The Leader of Heal Our Land Oh Lord, a global prayer initiative, Apostle Alfred Odion Uyinosa, who gave the advice, yesterday, during a press briefing in Lagos, also implored the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and other security personnel to maintain law and order during the poll.

He said: “This commitment is a call to duty to project Edo State, and Nigeria in a good light despite that this period is particularly challenging. Saturday’s election that will produce the next governor of Edo State must be free and fair. We urge all concerned citizens of the state, INEC, IGP, political parties, and other stakeholders to exercise their respective constitutional roles in promoting sustainable good governance.

THE Olugbenga Edema Campaign Organisation of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate in the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Ondo State, Olugbenga Edema, has criticised the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ighodalo Asue, and his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Monday Okpebholo, in Edo State, for shunning the governorship debate held, at the weekend, in Benin City, the state capital.

While describing the absence of PDP and APC candidates from the debate as disrespect to the electorate, Edema maintained that the action denies the people, particularly the electorate, their fundamental right to evaluate the policies and visions of those seeking to govern them.

Asue and Okpebholo failed to show up at a governorship debate organised by the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in conjunction with the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) ahead of Saturday’s election in the state.

In a statement issued by the spokesperson of the campaign organisation, Oluwatosin Ayeni, it was emphasised that the refusal of the candidate to participate in the debate was disrespectful to voters who are entitled to assess those seeking public office.

While urging Edo people to take a stand, Edema called for the rejection of the two parties at the poll on Saturday, adding that such impunity on the electorate by the two political parties would not be tolerated in Ondo State.