ABUJA – The FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Godwin Kwanga, has said all Nigerians must work for credible, free and fair elections in 2015.
Kwanga said this on the second day of Inter-Agency Advisory Committee on Voter Education and Publicity in Abuja on Tuesday.
“To conduct a free, fair and credible election come 2015 is the responsibility of everyone’’, he said.
According to him, the political class, opinion leaders, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and others should work together to ensure people are aware of how and when to collect the Permanent Voter Card (PVC).
He urged FCT residents to come out early to collect their PVC from Aug. 15 to 17 at polling centres where registration for the cards took place.
Kwanga answered questions on how INEC could recognise underage voters, what it was doing about deceased voters and viability of the duration of the programme.
“INEC requests for birth certificates when in doubt about young voters. The PVC would be displayed in each centre and INEC is depending on the public to point out those that are deceased on the list.
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“The duration at polling centres would be for those three days beginning from Friday to end on Sunday but collection of cards continues after that period at all area council offices around the FCT.’’
He stated that it would be easier for people to collect their PVCs during the period as collection of unclaimed cards would be restricted to one centre in each area council in the territory.
He advised voters to take along their temporary cards to the polling units to collect the PVC while cases of misplaced cards would be treated at the polling units.
“INEC will not give out any card by proxy; owners are encouraged to pick them up personally.
“Those whose cards are missing should collect an attestation form, affix their passports to it and submit same at the centres’’, Kwanga said.
He explained that eligible voters were those who were 18 and above and registered for the temporary voter cards before the 2011 elections.
“Those that turned 18 after the elections and are not registered would have the opportunity to do so during the next continuous voter registration slated for Aug. 20 to 25.
“Those that relocated from one part of the FCT to another or from one part of the country to the FCT are not expected to register again.
‘’This would amount to double registration’’, he said.
He advised those who relocated from one place to another to write application for PVC transfer to the REC in their areas through the Electoral Officer. (NAN)
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