Yenagoa- The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said about 60,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were awaiting collection by registered voters in Bayelsa.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Barito Kphagih, made this known to newsmen in Yenagoa.
Kphagih said that eligible voters in the state had not responded well to the call on them to come out and collect the cards.
He therefore, urged the people to turn up at their wards to collect the cards, saying that it was the only way they could vote.
He explained that INEC had decentralized the distribution of the cards at ward levels to make it easier for registered voters to collect them.
Kphagih, who assumed duties in the state on Monday, promised that INEC would take steps to ensure smooth distribution of election materials during the election.
He said that under the new arrangement, the materials would be delivered to secured locations close to voting centres on the eve of the election days to avert delays in the conduct of the exercise.
He explained that the materials had been customized and colour-coded, adding that the measure was taken to check the perennial problem of diversion of materials during elections.
The REC disclosed that INEC had scheduled a stakeholders’ meeting with the leadership of political parties in the state to interact ahead the general elections.
He appealed to youths in the state to shun thuggery, reminding them that National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were integral part of the support staff for the elections were also youths.
“The appeal this time is for the youths to realise that they are also the victims of political violence.
‘’They should therefore do something about it, knowing that youths from the NYSC are the ones conducting the elections,” Kphagih said.
