…We will improve on corpers welfare
It is once again my pleasure to brief you on the Commission’s preparedness for the 2019 general elections. Yesterday, I reported that a number of States had commenced deployment to the Local Government Areas (LGAs). I also assured the nation that going by our revised timetable and schedule of activities, these deployments will be concluded today. We are fully on course. There is no State that has not commenced the deployment to LGAs. In fact, 19 States have fully deployed. By the end of the day, all States and FCT would have deployed except Bayelsa State which is moving direct from our State Office in Yenagoa to the RACs tomorrow.
Tomorrow, activities at Ward level will commence with the activation of the Registration Area Centres (RACs) at 9.00am while the movement of personnel and materials will commence at mid-day. This is the last staging post before deployment to 119,973 polling units leading to the opening of polls at 8.00am on Saturday.
We once again profoundly appreciate the continuous understanding and words of encouragement from all stakeholders. In particular, some of our international observers are on short-term single entry visa. Some may also wish to leave the country after the elections this Saturday and return to observe the Governorship, State Assembly and FCT Area Council elections now rescheduled for Saturday 9thMarch 2019. In order to make the processes easier, the Nigeria Immigration Service, working with the Commission, is granting extension of visa to all international observers who require such facility. Similarly, the Immigration Service is also granting re-entry visa to all observers who may wish to travel out of the country and return for the second part of the general election. In this regard, the Service has also requested me to convey its decision to waive the visa fee and treat all such requests expeditiously. The extension of stay or re-entry into the country will be treated gratis. A special desk to handle those who wish to extend their stay as well as those travelling and coming back to Nigeria before 9thMarch 2019 has been set up at the Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Two immigration officers have been assigned to carry out the ad hoc assignment. On behalf of the Commission, I wish to extend our profound appreciation to the Nigeria Immigration Service for this initiative.
At yesterday’s briefing, we promised to make public detailed information on collection of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) nationwide. The Commission has operated on the policy that no citizen can vote without the PVC issued by the Commission and read by the Smart Card Reader (SCR). Having announced the total number of registered voters and their distribution by age, gender and occupation, citizens deserve the right to know how many PVCs have been collected across the country. The last date for the collection of PVCs was Monday 11thFebruary 2019. Out of 84,004,084 registered voters, the total number of PVCs collected stands at 72,775,502which represents 86.63% of the total PVCs collected. Detailed breakdown and percentages of collection on State by State basis has been published on our website. Infographics are also available on our various social media platforms. We have also making hard copies available to stakeholders at this meeting.
A total of 11,228,582 PVCs representing 13.37% are uncollected. Out of this figure, 7,817,905 PVCs were carried over from the 2014-2016 registration exercises while 3,410,677are from the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise held between April 2017 and August 2018.
On the welfare of Youth Corps members serving as Presiding Officers at Polling Units, the Commission is unhappy with images of some of some of them sleeping rough at the RAC centres. We have been in discussion with the Director General of the NYSC on how this situation can be ameliorated. We have made an arrangement with the NYSC to move the mattresses used in their orientation camps nationwide, except Borno State where Youth Corps members are not deployed, for the ease their hardship. As usual, the Commission will provide electricity generators and supply water and toiletries in the RACs. We have also liaised with the security agencies for adequate protection.
