Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has taken sensitisation on collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs) to wards, local government areas and senatorial districts in Oyo State.
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Dr Adeniran Tella, made this known at the Oyo Central Senatorial District special stakeholders’ forum in Ibadan on Wednesday.
According to him, Egbeda Local Government Area in Oyo central senatorial district has the highest number of uncollected PVCs of 61,550.
This, he said, was followed by Akinyele Council Area, with 54,252 uncollected PVCs, while Afijio Local Government Area had the lowest number of uncollected PVCs of 11,868.
The REC said that the commission would soon commence the training of all categories of election officials and electoral security personnel (ESP).
He said that adequate security personnel had been deployed in the INEC State Office to ensure that the facilities and materials needed for the forthcoming elections were protected.
“The commission periodically meets with all members of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) at the state and local government levels.
“I urge everyone to collect his/her PVCs, even as I also call on political parties and candidates to conduct their campaigns peacefully and eschew, divisiveness, rancour and violence,” he said.
Commenting, the Electoral Officer, Akinyele council area, Mrs Agnes Oluwatomisin, urged traditional rulers, religion leaders, artisans and other stakeholders to intensify sensitisation on the need for collection of PVCs at the grassroots.