From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State Mutiu Agboke has said 700,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have not been collected from the Commission in the state.
Mr Agboke disclosed this during a media briefing on the commencement of the scheduled Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which held at the Collation Centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Ibadan, the state capital.
Agboke explained that the Commission decided to conduct the CVR process as an online exercise based on the security threat in the country as well as the need to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘The commission decided to commence the scheduled CVR with an online exercise nationwide, using the INEC portal. This shall be followed by the commencement of the scheduled appointments for online registrations and commencement of physical CVR on July 19, 2021, in all our INEC state and local government offices nationwide. INEC is carrying out the online CVR but the idea of online is a novel one,’ Agboke stated.
‘Those who have already been registered as voters can carry out all the other CVR activities. The essence is for two major reasons which are: first, to reduce overcrowding at our registration centres, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and second, as a result of the prevailing security situation in the country, and Oyo State in particular.’
Agboke further stated that the Commission has created 1,607 new polling units in the state, saying: ‘Initially, there were 4,783 polling units in the state. However, with the additional 1,607 new polling units, we now have a total number of 6, 390 polling units in the state.
‘Importantly, the new polling units will guarantee better access to voters during elections and the idea is also to make new polling units available for voters during this CVR exercise, which kick-started online from June 28, 2021.’