13th March, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Barely two weeks to the Presidential election rescheduled to hold on 28 March, eligible voters in four local government areas of Edo state are yet to receive their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs.
The Administrative Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Edo State, Brown Ulucha, who disclosed this Friday when the PDP House of Representatives candidate for Egor/Ikpoba Federal Constituency, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, protested to INEC office over what he described as shoddy distribution of PVCs in the two local governments.
Ulucha who gave the affected local government areas as Owan West, Owan East, Ovia South West and Uhunmwode, said the cards were yet to arrive from Abuja, adding that the State Resident Electoral Commissioner was already in Abuja because of the cards.
He however disclosed that he had issued seven administrative queries to staffers of Ikpoba-Okha INEC office, just as he assured that INEC would not play games.
According to him, it was the responsibility of INEC to ensure that the votes of Edo people count. He therefore, assured Agbonayinma that his complaint would be investigated.
The PDP Reps candidate, Agbonayinma, who protested to INEC with his supporters armed with a petition, had told the INEC Administrative Secretary that while the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan want free and fair elections, some INEC staff were trying to sabotage the elections.
“Some INEC staff do not deserve to be here to supervise the distribution of PVC. If INEC want to succeed E.Os of Egor and Ikpoba-Okha must not be allowed to stay,” he said.
Agbonayinma who said his wife and several voters were yet to receive their voter cards, called on INEC to buckle up in the area of card readers and PVC distribution to ensure it gives Nigerians the best election.