The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that 315,000 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) are yet to to be collected in Kwara State since 2015.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Correspondentsโ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the weekend, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Garba Madami, said only 160,000 eligible voters had so far registered since the commencement of the voters registration.
The REC said about 1.2 million eligible voters are expected to cast their vote in Kwara during the next general elections.
Madami said INEC has mapped out a strategy to address poor turn out of residents to register.
He said part of the strategy was to deploy officers to villages and rural areas to register eligible voters, as against local government headquarters where registration points were initially restricted.
Madami said judging by the utterances of political actors, recent defections and the number of aspirants eying the next general elections, Kwara State is likely to be a cynosure of all eyes next year.
He added that his mission was to achieve free, fair and credible elections that would be applauded by all stakeholders.
The REC advised people to shun violence, saying that they should not see the coming election as a do-or-die affair.
He added: โNo politician is worth dying for. We should all join hands to sustain and maintain peace and harmony that this state has been known for. This is more so because thereโs nothing that can be achieved without peaceful environment.โ
Reacting to complaints over alleged political and religious discrimination by some INEC officials at some registration centres, the INEC boss said such acts would not be tolerated, adding that the reports would be investigated.
He also said that measures to douse anxieties over the registration exercise or collection of PVC by eligible voters have been mapped out. Madami assured that there would be improvement at the end of the day.
