INEC Should Increase Number Of Staff For PVC Registration, Say Prospective Voters

Some prospective voters have asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Port-Harcourt City Local Government Area Office situated on Aba Road to increase its number of staff for the registration exercise for Permanent Voters Card (PVC).

Speaking in an interview at the venue of the exercise on Tuesday, a prospective voter, Prince Boma Frank, asked the INEC to increase its staff for the exercise which will end at the end of the month.

The prospective voter said: “They should try and get more workers. At least if the workers are doubled than the number they have now, it will be moving at a faster rate”.

He said INEC officials had attended to him after wasting much time.

He also said on previous days he went back home and could not get registered because the crowd was also much.

He said he had not registered for permanent voters card and had not got one expressing doubt that the electoral body would be able to attend to everyone coming for the exercise to end by the end of the month.

Also speaking another prospective voter, Akeuseph Festus, asked the INEC to increase its number of staff.

He said that he came for replacement of his card but said that it took a lot of time for him to be attended to by officials of the electoral body.

Festus said: “They should increase the number of staff because the crowd here is more than the staff they have on ground and in addition to that when you want to ask a question they should be able to pay attention and listen to your case. Let them not be harsh. When you want to ask them some question they will be harsh and it’s not good”. 

He also appealed to the electoral body to extend the registration exercise by another month.

Speaking on why he came he said: “It was a replacement. My names peeled out from the previous one I had in 2008. So I came here to do a replacement. When I came in here at 6:30, I was here before the officials of this place came. When they came they didn’t start attending to us. So (there was) murmuring and complaining. They didn’t give us any reason (for not attending to us) but I discovered they did not resume that time”.

Also speaking, a prospective voter Mr Happy Edike had said that he came to do transfer for his permanent voters card from Obio/Akpor Local Government Area to Oyigbo Local Government Area saying that time was not however wasted in the process.

Mr Edike said he was guided by INEC officials on doing the transfer himself on an App.

He said that INEC officials are doing their best to register those coming for registration or replacement or transfer of their cards.

Another prospective voter Jane Ayanma also had said that she had done transfer of location online from Imo State to Rivers State in February but said was told by INEC her card was not ready.

She said: “I was told that they would announce, that the cards for that particular period are not ready.”

Ms Ayanma said she looked forward to “hitch-free distribution of cards. Most of us are encouraged this period to get our cards and ensure that we vote”.

She said she would cast her vote in next year’s election to choose representatives.

A prospective voter who did not want his name printed had appealed to INEC to increase the number of staff for the exercise noting that nothing happened at the centre saying he was going home because he had not been attended by any official of the electoral body.

An official of the Independent National Electoral Commission who was actually to speak on the exercise and progress made excused herself from making comment because at the time she was very busy directing those who had come for the exercise where they should sit.