Mutiu Agboke, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo State, says 60.1 per cent of the total number of uncollected Permanent Voter Cards(PVCs) in the state belong to residents of Ibadan.
Mr Agboke made the disclosure on Wednesday in Ibadan at a stakeholders forum organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to him, 452, 811 out of the 753,450 unclaimed PVCs in the custody of the commission are owned by residents in the 11 local government areas of Ibadanland.
“The figure represents 60.1 per cent of the total number of uncollected PVCs in Oyo State.
“It is a task that requires the cooperation of all the community heads, traditional rulers, politicians and chairmen of the 11 local government areas.
“They should assist the commission to reach out to owners of the unclaimed PVCs; let them know the importance of the card in a democratic society.
“Let us sensitise them and that it is their civic responsibility to participate in elections and that PVC is their voting power,’’ he stated.
He reiterated the commitment of the commission to conducting free, fair and credible elections in 2019.
Mr Agboke, however, solicited the cooperation of political parties in prevailing on their supporters to abstain from thuggery and hooliganism.
He further admonished politicians and the electorate against vote buying and selling, saying it contravenes the electoral law.
Lekan Balogun, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, in his remarks, commended INEC over the efforts made so far on voters’ education.
Mr Balogun urged the commission to sustain the tempo of effective electoral processes ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He promised that Ibadan monarchs and other stakeholders would intensify efforts to prevail on owners of unclaimed PVCs to collect them.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 11 local government areas in Ibadan land are Ido, Egbeda, Akinyele and Ona-Ara.
Others are Lagelu, Oluyole, Ibadan North, Ibadan North East, Ibadan North West, Ibadan South East and Ibadan South West,
NAN also reports that the council chairmen of all the local government areas attended the meeting and expressed their readiness to work with the electoral body in sensitising residents on need to collect their PVCs.
(NAN)
