INEC PVCs: The missing millions in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Rivers

Unless there’s a systematic effort to urgently attend to nagging issues surrounding permanent voter cards (PVCs), multitudes of eligible Nigerian voters may not have the opportunity to exercise their franchise in 2015, BD SUNDAY can authoritatively report.

The fear stems from the deafening complaints from various states over omission of voters’ names in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s register and the slow pace at which the commission is moving to ensure that those who are supposed to get the cards have them on time.

Many voters have raised an alarm over their inability to find their names in the register. Some say they travelled long distances to their polling units to check their names in the register; yet, could not find them. There are others also who complain that although they found their names in the register, their PVCs were not available.

It would be recalled that the consciousness over the missing millions of voters in INEC’s voter register dawned on Nigerians when on Wednesday, November 5, 2014, Babatunde Fashola, governor, Lagos State, addressed Lagosians on the commencement of the issuance of permanent voters cards billed for the following day.

Fashola had pointed out that according to INEC, “the number of registered voters in Lagos is now 4,800,000 (four million, eight hundred thousand).”

He described it as strange and surprising because “at the conclusion of voters’ registration exercise before the 2011 elections, the number of registered voters in Lagos as announced by INEC itself was 6,247,845 (six million, two hundred and forty-seven thousand, eight hundred and forty).”

He challenged INEC to explain how 1,447,845 (one million, four hundred and forty-seven thousand, eight hundred and forty five) voters disappeared.

Addressing journalists in Lagos recently, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), roundly condemned the development and accused INEC of planning something untoward.

By the same token, Lai Mohammed, the party’s national publicity secretary accused the commission of skewing the process in favour of some other party.

Following the observations, INEC announced that it would only issue Permanent Voters’ Card in the 11 (eleven) local governments in Lagos. They are  Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikeja, Mushin, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Ibeju-Lekki, Ikorodu, Kosofe and Ojo.

The commission also postponed the exercise in nine local government areas, which include Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa Badagry, Oshodi-Isolo, Epe, Shomolu, Surulere and Eti-Osa.

Although the commission explained that the reduction observed from the initial 1.6 million registered voters in Lagos from the 2011 records emanated when the data was subjected to the Automated Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) software where 82,892 multiple registrations were eliminated, anger and frustration have continued to greet the development, which pundits describe as unfortunate and “portends danger for the coming elections.” 

Kayode Idowu, chief press secretary to INEC chairman, had said: “It is completely false that INEC has removed the records of 1.4 million persons from the register of voters compiled in 2011 in Lagos State. It is true that at the end of the 2011 general registration exercise, the Commission announced a figure of 6.1 million registrants in the state. But when that data was subjected to the Automated Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) software, 82,892 multiple registrations were eliminated.” “There was the technical challenge of loss of data and incomplete data affecting about one million records- mostly in 1,792 polling units that were identified and made public before the present exercise. That was why/how the Post-Business Rule figure for Lagos State (on the basis of which PVCs were printed) came down to about 4.6 million registrants,” he added.

According to him, “For avoidance of doubt, a pre-acknowledged data loss and incomplete data of some registrants is not a ‘conspiracy’ issue as has been alleged by some notable persons. It is a back-end technical challenge that is far from sealing the fate of affected persons, and for which INEC has already put in place measures to ensure redress,”

In some states, it is not actually a case of missing voters’ cards; it is, according to the commission, the problem of the cards not being fully delivered by printers.

Other states that experience hitches in various degrees are Kaduna, Kano, Edo, Plateau, Ogun, Imo, Borno, Rivers, Lagos, Nasarawa, Katsina and Niger.

Responses across the states

From across the states badly hit, distraught voters are now hunted by fear of disenfranchisement in the forth coming 2015 general election. They want INEC to tidy up its list with regard to the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) exercise.

Some of those who spoke with BD SUNDAY said that whatever reason(s) given by INEC for the missing voters is (are) unsatisfactory. They described as unacceptable INEC’s explanation, particularly as it pertains to Lagos) that the missing millions engaged in multiple registrations during the 2011 exercise.

Samuel Assang, an eligible voter who claimed to have registered at 047 Polling Unit, near Iyalla Street, Alausa, Ikeja, said his name was missing.

“I went there on Friday, November 7, the first day of the distribution exercise, but there was no INEC official on ground.  On the second day, Saturday, November 8, I went back and found a list displayed on the board, but my name was not there. When I complained to them, they were asking me whether that was the only place I registered, and I told them yes. They flipped through papers and still couldn’t find my name. This is rather disappointing. Nobody has the right to one his/her voting power; it is our right as citizens of Nigeria. INEC should do something about this,” said Assang.

Ibukun Adewale lamented that her name was conspicuously missing on the list displayed by INEC officials at Polling Unit 008, Oregun/Ikeja. She said she was at the polling unit on the last day of the distribution of the PVCs, Monday, November 10, and was shocked not to find her name.

“That was the only place I registered in 2011, so it is a surprise to hear INEC saying that missing names were involved in multiple registration in 2011. Much as I want to believe that some people may have registered more than once for some dubious reasons, I want to state categorically that all the 1.4 missing voters couldn’t have engaged in such act.  I, for one did not. I think INEC should tidy up its books to ensure that eligible voters are not denied their constitutional right to vote in the upcoming elections,” said Adewale.

Protest in Imo

Large crowds of Imo people representing various organisations and groups gathered at the Freedom Square, Owerri weekend to protest what they described as INEC failure in releasing the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) in many polling booths across the state without satisfactory reasons.

The various groups marched from the Freedom Square to INEC office on Port Harcourt Road, Owerri chanting in loud voices and carrying placards to represent their strong grievances with the electoral body.

Some of the placards bore inscriptions which read: “No PVC, no election.” “INEC release our cards..ooo.” “Jega don’t scuttle 2015.” “INEC has failed the masses of Imo State.” “PVC Cards missing; old tricks.”

Many of the protesters said they could not understand the reason for withholding the PVCs, while others said they suspected it was a deliberate ploy to rig the 2015 elections; and warned that Imo people would not take it calmly. 

KANO

A cross section of residents of Kano also expressed disappointment with the way the on-going distribution Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), and registration of new voters, are being handled.

The residents are of the view that the exercise was characterised by misplacement of cards which made it difficult for a large number of people to collect theirs.

Nuhu Abubakar Damburan, Kano State commissioner for Information, Youths, and Sports, described the exercise as a “huge failure”.

“I must say that the distribution of PVC, and registration of new voters embarked upon by INEC, so far, has being quite disappointing. The exercise has been characterised by lots of challenges.

“From what we are seeing, INEC has not prepared well for the exercise, I wonder why they have to call for the exercise when they know that they are not prepared; they should have been ready before calling for the exercise.

“The situation we have at hand is that there are a lot of places at the moment that the PVCs have not been made available to the people, and registrations have not been conducted, and nobody is telling the people why the delay” he explained.

Damburan also said that the exercise is experiencing hitches because INEC failed to provide information to the people on the conduct of the programme. He urged the people of the state to be patient with the commission.

In the same vein, Peter Oloniyo, another respondent, who could not obtain his PVC because his card was not found, also expressed disappointment with the conduct of the exercise. 

“What I can tell you about the collection of the PVC and registration of new voters here in Tarauni, where I reside is that the exercise was not very impressive, as many of us, up till now, have not been able to collect our cards.

“In my own case, when we get to where we registered we were told that they saw my wife`s a day before, but they did not know who collected it, while, my own was nowhere to be found.

“They asked me to come back, and I have been going there since then, but have not seen my own, I am becoming fed up with the exercise,” Peter said.

 RIVERS

Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, governor, Rivers State, had also challenged Attahiru Jega, INEC chairman, to ensure the smooth conduct of elections next year.

Amaechi urged INEC to rectify whatever technical challenges they faced and make possible for Rivers people in the 23 Local Government Areas to collect their permanent voter’s cards to vote at the elections.  At the moment, only seven LGAs could have their permanent voter’s cards, according to INEC.

Amaechi said: “We sympathise with INEC and we will join them to pray that they find a solution to the remaining Local Government Areas. In my Local government Area (Ikwerre LGA), there are some units that don’t have; they were registered but their names have been omitted completely and in that case, there will be fresh registration”.