The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said that over 200,000 Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, are uncollected in Abia State.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC in charge of Abia, Professor Ike Uzochukwu, who disclosed this at a press conference Friday in Umuahia, urged owners of the uncollected PVCs to rush to INEC office in the Local Government Area where they registered and pick the document before the Sunday February 5 deadline for PVC collection.
Professor Uzochukwu also disclosed that INEC would tomorrow, Saturday, test-run its biometric machines through mock accreditation in the state.
The mock accreditation, according to him, will hold in six LGAs of the three senatorial zones.
He said that two polling units had been selected in each of the wards in the affected the LGAs for the exercise.
The mock accreditation, according to the REC, “is basically to stimulate voter accreditation and note any challenges for better conduct of the 2023 elections”.
He explained that the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS machines which would be used in the exercise, “uses facial biometrics and finger prints”.
Professor Uzochukwu urged voters in the affected LGAs to turn out en mass for the exercise.
The REC said INEC was prepared for credible polls in the state, and solicited the cooperation of Abians for the success of the forthcoming elections.
He disclosed that the Commission had undertaken training of security personnel and adhoc staff that would be involved in the forthcoming polls in the state.
The REC expressed optimism that the forthcoming elections would be hitch free in the state.
Adding his voice, INEC State Training Officer, Eke Okwun, said about 100 security personnel from different security agencies are currently involved in the first phase of the on-going training.