The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Rivers State says over 14,000 Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs, have been stolen by thugs in the different parts of the state.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Gesila Khan said, the stealing of PVCs had become a source of worry for the election umpire.
Khan in an interview with the media in Port Harcourt also said despite all odds, INEC had achieved about 80% distribution of the PVCs in the state.
While condemning the excesses of the PVC thieves, Khan noted that the cards could not be used except they were in the possession of their owners.
She assured that over 500,000 PVCs would be distributed in the state before the general elections in two weeks time.
“All the cards that are being snatched are useless and meaningless because we are going to use a new system called card readers.
“Your card readers are just like the ATM cards. You take it there and they slot it in to confirm its yours before you are allowed to vote.
“So if you go there with another person’s voter’s card, it is meaningless. So I’m advising those of you with other people’s cards to return them to the Local Government offices.
“I’m appealing to Rivers people because we have lost a lot of cards. We have lost more than 14,000 PVCs and its so bad. This is one of the highest figures in the federation,” Khan said.
