A happy new year to you all. While you’re adjusting to life after Detty December, now’s a good time as a registered Nigerian voter to make it your new year resolution to pick up your Permanent Voters Card (PVC), before January 22, 2023.
What’s so special about that date? Well, that’s the last day set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for anyone to get their PVCs, no extension. We did an explainer here on how to collect your PVC.
That leaves you with just 18 days to get your PVC if you haven’t already.
Here are a few things to know.
6.7 million PVCs are yet to be collected across 17 states.
According to a report by Punch, 6.7 million PVCs are locked up in INEC safes across 17 states and the FCT. That’s a lot and INEC is begging you all to go and claim them.
On December 29, 2022, INEC disclosed that in Lagos State, 5,816,528 PVCs have been collected while 1,693,963 PVCs remain unclaimed.
In the same time period, Edo state had 661,783 voter cards uncollected. Ondo and Ekiti states had 300,000 and 205,127 unclaimed as at December 8.
Other states with a high number of unclaimed PVCs include Oyo, 700,000; Osun, 437,454; Kwara, 120,602; Ogun, 400,000; Cross River, 409,604; Kogi, 160,966; Imo, 300,000, Gombe, 231, 900; Anambra, 132,623; Niger,150,988 and over 200,000 in Adamawa.
Borno and Plateau States have had decent collection rates with only 80,117 and 49,000 PVCs unclaimed respectively.
Ride hailing apps are offering 50% off on rides to and from PVC collection centres.
If you’re in the urban centres of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, Uber is still in Detty December mood.
The ride hailing company is offering a 50 per cent discount on all rides to and from PVC collection centres in those locations. The promo commenced on December 15, 2022 and will continue for up to five weeks from that date. Rides are on weekdays, between 8 am and 5 pm.
Between January 6 and January 15, PVCs can be picked up at RACs
The way INEC has designed the collection process is to have PVCs picked up either in all the 774 INEC local government offices, or in the 8,809 registration area centres (RAC), aka wards, in the country.
From January 6 to January 15, 2023, PVCs will be available for collection at the RACs. After then, pickup reverts to the LG offices till the deadline on January 22, 2023. A list of all RACs nationwide is available here.
So there really is no excuse for you. If you decide not to get your PVC because the process is “stressful”, then you’ve lost the right to complain if the wrong people take charge of Nigeria. Choose your stress wisely.
