Calabar – Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Cross River State, Dr Sylester Ezeani, has advised the electorate not to sell their Permanent Voter Cards, saying it was in their interest.
Ezeani gave the advice yesterday in Calabar in an interview with newsmen.
He said that the act of buying and selling of PVCs was borne out of ignorance, adding that politicians who were buying the cards were merely wasting their money.
“You are only disenfranchising people by buying their PVCs because you cannot use them for anything. It is worthless and a waste of money.
“I advise people to stop selling their PVCs because nothing can be done to circumvent this process,” he said.
The REC added that buying and selling of PVCs could lead to voter apathy, as people might decide not to vote on the premise that the winners had already been decided.
“So, by buying people’s PVCs, you are actually depriving them of doing what they are supposed to do as citizens of the country,’’ he stated.
He said that INEC in Cross River had begun the distribution of non-sensitive materials to the various local government areas of the state.
According to him, the commission has so far distributed the materials to six council areas, including Calabar South, Calabar Municipal, Akpabuyo and Odukpani.
“We are actually going to make it nine council areas today by moving down to Yakurr, Obubra and Abi.
“We are also making arrangements to move up north to places like Ikom, Ogoja, Obanliku, Bekwara, Yala, among others,‘’ he said.
He disclosed that training had begun for more than 14,477 ad hoc staff, including Supervising Polling Officers, Polling Officers, and Assistant Polling Officers 1 and 11 for the election.
Ezeani said that the commission had also taken delivery of Card Readers from Abuja, adding that they were already being configured.
He disclosed that the commission had distributed more than 80 per cent of PVCs to registered voters in the state, and urged eligible voters who were yet to collect theirs to do so.
He assured that INEC is ready to conduct credible elections in the state.
