Thousands of residents in Kaduna State were yet to receive their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are experiencing lapses in the ongoing distribution exercise.
However, the commission has explained that the shortcomings being experienced in the distribution of the PVCs in some parts of the country is because the cards were being printed outside country, precisely in
China.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kaduna State, Alhaji Haliru Tambuwal, yesterday explained why the state was experiencing hitches in the exercise when the Council of Imams and Ulamas paid a courtesy call to his office after series of protests by those who had not been issued with their PVCs.
According to him, the cards were printed outside the country and the process of transporting the cards had been tedious due to the quantity.
“As I’m talking to you, our headquarters
informed us that a consignment would arrive Kaduna Airport on Thursday morning, but up till now, we are yet to receive it. I want you to know that it is not our intention to cause hitches for Nigerians in getting their PVCs as earlier announced by the commission, but you cannot fault us for printing the cards abroad because we know our people may duplicate anything made in Nigeria,” Tambuwal said.
He, however, assured that nobody would be left out in the exercise.
He further explained that Jaba and Kaduna South Local Council Areas in the state were yet to receive any cards for distribution and blamed that on the logistics problems.
Speaking earlier, the chairman of Council of Imams and Ulamas, Kaduna State, Sheikh Usman Baba Tune said they were in INEC office to inform the Commission of the displeasure of people about the way the PVCs distribution exercise was going on in the state.
According to him, there was no distribution of the cards in some local council areas in the state like Kaduna South.
He urged INEC to gear up to its responsibility, noting that having a PVC is the right of every Nigerian.
Meanwhile, as the issuance of the PVCs entered the third day in Kaduna, majority of voters were yet to be attended to by INEC officials as several people in the metropolis who reported to the centres of the last voters’ registration exercise could not find their names on the list. Agency report