The Independent National Electoral Commission, Ogun State office has revealed that a total of 427,554 Permanent Voter Cards have remained unclaimed by the electorate in Ogun State.
The cards according to the Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Independent National Electoral Commission, Ogun State, Mrs. Adenike Tadese, were issued between 2011 and 2015, and as at Friday, February 9, 2018, the owners have not come up to claim them.
She, however, explained that it was not impossible that some of the owners might have relocated abroad or moved to other states, while some may have died.
She added that the commission was doing its best in mounting public enlightenment programmes through the state electronic media to call on those still alive who registered in the state within the period to go to INEC offices in the local governments where they registered and collect their PVCs.
She said, “We still have a total of 427,554 Permanent Voter Cards uncollected in Ogun State by the electorate.
“It covered the period between 2011 and 2015. Some of the factors, responsible might be that some people have relocated abroad, some were National Youth Service Corps members who came from other states and had their one-year mandatory service in the state.
“Some others have graduated from the higher institutions of learning and some have gained admission into higher institutions outside the state, while some others have died.
“However, for those who are still alive who know they registered in the state for the PVCs within the period stated and are yet to collect them, they should go to the INEC offices in the local governments where they registered and collect their PVCs.”
Tadese said the current continuous voter registration exercise was not a fresh voter registration but mainly for those who have clocked 18 years from the time of the last voter registration in 2014, and those who were abroad then and now back home.
She warned those engaging in double registration to desist, saying it constituted electoral offence.
For those who have lost their PVCs, Tadese said they would have to go to court and swear to an affidavit, which they would present to INEC officials at the local government offices where the individual did his first registration.
She said, “Once they present the sworn affidavit to INEC officials at the local government office, they will be told what to do next.”
