Senator Mohammed Ndume on Sunday commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for commencing the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards in Borno.Ndume (APC-Borno), who gave the commendation at a news conference in Maiduguri, said that the large turnout of registered voters to collect their PVCs was a good omen.“The large turnout is an indication that we are going to have massive voters turn out during the election in February.“I want to commend INEC for embarking on the distribution of the PVCs after so many delays.“You can see in most polling units that individuals are so anxious to collect their PVCs, because it is the only ticket that will allow them participate in next month’s general elections,’’ he said.Ndume also commended the efforts of INEC in ensuring the distribution of the PVCs at various IDPs camps in Maiduguri.“You can see that even the IDPs are eager to collect their voter cards, going by the number of those trying to collect their PVCs.“Many people are happy that it is now clear that they are going to vote during the election,” he said.Ndume appealed to the military to hasten the ongoing operations to dislodge the Boko Haram insurgents from the state so that the IDPs can go back home before elections.“We will be very happy if the military is able to dislodge the insurgents from our villages before the elections, so we can vote in our homes,” he said.Ndume said many people were apprehensive about the conduct of election in the state at the initial stage.“Section 42 of the Electoral Act states clearly that no Nigerian should be disenfranchised by preventing him or her from voting in an election.“But the problem of insurgency had created many IDPs who are no longer staying in their communities,” he said. NAN
