Collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will continue till March 8, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday.
The extension followed the postponement of the elections till March 28 and April 11.
The PVCs collection was initially due to end last Sunday.
In a statement yesterday, the commission’s secretary Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, said it hoped that “this extension will finally avail every registered person yet to collect his/her PVC the opportunity to do so in readiness for the general elections”.
The INEC chairman’s Chief Press Secretary Mr Kayode Idowu, said the problem was not that the cards were not available “but the question still remains the collection by the owners’’.
Idowu said the commission would do its best to ensure that registered voters received their PVCs, given the extension in the election dates.
The chief press secretary said the collection of PVCs was not one of the reasons why the election dates were rescheduled, adding that 68.7 per cent of PVCs had been collected as at Feb. 6.
“By the time we add the figure for Saturday, you can be sure that it would have reached 70 per cent.
“Even with all complaints, the rate is not bad as people are talking about it.’’
Idowu, however, added that the commission would use the extension period to improve on its preparations to achieve success in the elections.
The commission has said that parties can no longer substitute candidates in spite of the postponement.
A top official of the commission said: “We have been receiving enquiries from political parties on whether or not they they can replace their candidates.
“But we have already printed the ballot papers; we cannot change the format overnight. This will attract more cost. You will recall that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said the poll shift is without cost.
“The reality is that some aspects of our preparation for the polls, especially the nomination and substitution processes, had lapsed as contained in the guidelines in the Electoral Act.
“We will not allow last-minute substitution of candidates.”
