The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been urged to clean up its act and ensure that Nigerians are able to collect their Permanent Voter Cards.
Journalists, Adekunle Yussuf, Associate Editor with TheNation Newspaper and Paul Dada, Managing Editor, These Times Newspaper made this call while speaking on the difficulties currently being faced by Nigerians who have been visiting collection Centres to pick up their permanent Voter Cards across the Country.
In his reaction to the issue, Adekunle Yussuf, said the Independent National electoral Commission, INEC, should be doing much better with the kind of information that people give when registering as a voter.
He added that Permanent Voter Cards should be something owners would be called on phone to come and pick since people give their numbers and even home addresses on the Biometric they fill while registering.
He disclosed that this kind of situation always leads to people being taken advantage of with INEC officials allegedly now demanding bribe from people to get their permanent Voter Cards.
He disclosed that the issue is now even more important than ever with the Electoral Act clearly stating that without a Permanent Voter Card, no registered voter will be able to Vote.
Paul Dada, added that what is happening is quite frustrating asking why Nigerians have been behaving the way we do especially when it affects official documents like the Permanent Voter Cards while also making reference to the challenges that came with getting vaccinated for Covid-19 and even the National Identity Number.
He said Nigeria seems to enjoy creating problems for its citizens.
He disclosed that the registration procedure for the Permanent Voter Card was tedious and collecting should also not be as tedious as it has been.
Going Further, he said the current situation has created an opportunity for some unscrupulous Nigerians to cash in on the chaos to make money.
He said the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, will only end up disenfranchising people unnecessarily.
For his part, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, said the issues are being dealt with better in Northern Nigeria.
He disclosed that their is hardly any crowd anywhere in the North where people are collecting their Permanent Voter Cards adding that this means they have made innovations to ensure that the permanent Voter Cards are available to owners.
He described the situation as very sad urging the Independent National Electoral Commission to do better and make sure it does create the impression that it is a deliberate ploy to disenfranchise voters.
