Few weeks to the February national elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ebonyi State has identified rural illiteracy, difficult terrain and migration as factors militating against Permanent Voter Cards collection in the State.
The submission was part of the outcome of a zonal Town Hall meeting and Voter education outreaches for marginalized groups and other electorate for Ebonyi North Senatorial District held in Abakaliki on Saturday.
The town hall meeting, powered by the Development and Integrity Intervention Goal Foundation in collaboration with INEC under the Civil Society Situation Room, was supported by the United Kingdom Department for International Development.
In their separate presentations, the INEC electoral officers in charge of the three Local government areas making up Ebonyi North Senatorial District of the State: Abakaliki, Izzi and Ohaukwu, observed that most electorate do not know the names or other particulars of their registration units and wards.
They noted that many rural parts of the zone were remotely located in difficult terrains where accessibility remained herculean tasks without some complex logistics arrangements.
Coupled with that was the uncooperative attitude of some communities who show little or no interest in assisting INEC PVC distribution personnel with basic guidance and facilities for effective operation.
The Electoral Officer of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Elizabeth Chikwado, who confirmed that Abakaliki has the highest number of uncollected PVCs in the zone, attributed the situation to the negative effect of electorate in transit.
Chikwado observed that most of the uncollected PVCs, which accumulated since 2015, probably belonged to students and others who did not have permanent residence in the area and those who may have migrated before the issuance of the PVCs commenced.
She put the number of uncollected PVCs in the council area at 44,912 as at date, out of the initial total available of 63,912.
In Ohaukwu, the Electoral Officer, Ayi Godwin, noted that out of the 150,296 registered voters, about 35,000 PVCs have been distributed, leaving about 18,978 uncollected
Ejekwu Modestus, the EO for Izzi, also revealed that 15,276 were not yet collected out of the 152,604 registered voters in his council area as at Saturday.
The electoral officers, who said they have started preliminary training of some National Youth Service Corps members on their expected roles during the election, called on interested others from federal establishments, final classes in federal tertiary institutions, who are interested in serving as ad-hoc personnel in the elections, to visit INEC portal for online application.
They expressed their preparedness for the forthcoming election, adding that most insensitive materials had been brought to them from the INEC headquarters preparatory to the polls.
They however, called on the participants, traditional rulers, other non-governmental organizations and stakeholders to join hands in educating and sensitising the electorates in their areas of jurisdiction on the need to collect their PVCs before eight days to the elections when the distribution will legally end.
In his remarks, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the State Prof. Godswil Obioma, represented by Ibrahim Obiahu of INEC Legal Department, noted that the collaborative action with DIG, other non-governmental organizations, Civil Society Organisations, security agencies and all and sundry has become imperative in order to protect vulnerable groups in particular and the voting population in general.
The Executive Director of DIG, Oliver Aja Chima, while setting the tone of the meeting, explained that tension, which hitherto accompanied elections, tended to militate against effective participation of all in the electoral process over the years.
Chima noted that the DIG has seemed it necessary to employ voter education, sensitization and canvassing against abuses, hate speeches and other tension, inducing practices, in order to create conducive electoral environment for the electorates, especially for the marginalized groups: youths, women and people living with disabilities.
He added that the Development and Integrity Intervention Goal Foundation has been accredited by the INEC headquarters in Abuja to coordinate observation, monitoring and sensitization in lieu of the forthcoming elections, adding that it has remained neutral in all electoral matters.
He charged participants to transmit the knowledge acquired in the meeting to other electorates and stakeholders in their areas, adding: “Everyone has stolen to play in achieving a tension-free election.”
Participants in the town hall meeting were drawn from INEC state headquarters and local government offices, Civil Society organisations, community leaders, journalists and other stakeholders.