Edo Guber: Over 2.1 Million PVCs Collected, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that a total of 2,128,288 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected by registered voters in Edo State since February 2023.

This was disclosed by Professor Rhoda H. Gumsus, the commission’s National Commissioner in charge of Edo State, at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting in Benin City on Thursday.

Gumsus, represented by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anugbum Onuoha, stated that the collected PVCs were out of the total number of 2,501,081 registered voters in the state. Additionally, a total of 373,030 PVCs remain uncollected.

She explained that the continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise, which commenced on June 28, 2021, was suspended on July 31, 2022, to prepare for the 2023 general election.

The suspension was in line with Section 9(6) of the 2022 Electoral Act, which allows the commission to stop registration of voters, updating, and revision of the register of voters not later than 90 days before any election.

With the upcoming governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024, Gumsus emphasized the need to update the register of voters to accommodate those who have turned 18 since the CVR exercise was suspended, as well as those who have not registered before or wish to transfer their registration to a new location.

The CVR exercise is set to commence on May 27 and end on June 5, 2024, providing ample time for prospective registrants to register before the governorship election.

The exercise will also allow registered voters to transfer their registration within the state or from other states to Edo.

Gumsus urged all stakeholders to mobilize prospective registrants to participate in the exercise and encouraged those who have not collected their PVCs to seize the opportunity to do so.