Kunle ADELABU
The Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the lawmaker representing Ikorodu Constituency I, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, has stated that the concern of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that more eligible electorate are captured in the ongoing Continous Voters Registration (CVR) and are also given their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) necessitated their decision to engage the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He, however, challenged the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties to also engage in voters mobilization for PVC registration and collection.
Hon. Agunbiade stated this during the Constituency Stakeholders’ Meeting organized by the Lagos State House of Assembly in Ikorodu on Thursday, August 9, 2018.
“We are only concerned about the ongoing process not only to capture eligible voters that are yet to be registered but also to ensure that the PVCs yet to be collected at the INEC office get into the hands of the rightful owners.
“PDP, SDP and other opposition parties too should be concerned. They too should organize their own mobilization for PVC registration and collection. Our own aim is to improve on our voting numbers in the last election by ensuing that more eligible voters are registered and voted for our party’s candidates.
“We must find a way of getting the uncollected PVCs to the right owners because if not, the puroose of the registration may be defeated.
“At our end as a party, we are going to open a channel with INEC to see how we can work with you to see if the collection of PVCs too can be decentralized and make available at the ward levels. It’s important that we do this because most of those that you are holding their PVCs are APC voters”, Hon. Agunbiade stated while responding to the INEC Resident Electoral officer in Ikorodu, Mr Ogunmosunle Sanmi’s submission that many of the residents are yet to collect their PVC which are still in their possession.
“PDP and other parties too can also open their own channel of communication and ensure that their own members and voters too get their PVCs.
He stated that the electoral body must ensure that all the complaints by the residents are talking into consideration and adjustments made in the last few days remaining for the registration exercise to ensure that more eligible residents are captured and issued PVCs.
Mr Ogunmosunle,while responding to questions and complaints from residents at the forum, stated that the exercise is a Continuous Voters Registration exercise which is still going to continue after the present window closes.
“Residents who want transfer or who are seeking replacement of their lost PVCs or defaced cards are not to embark on any lengthen process or queue up like those just coming to our office or centres to register for PVCs.
He stated that those transferring their PVCs from their old areas to new places and those seeking to replace their cards only needed to approach their officials to collect a form.
The INEC Officer, who also stated that Ikorodu division is second in term of daily capturing of new PVC registration after Alimosho, also added that INEC has provided them with new machines to make their job easier and faster.
He also added that the CVR has been decrentralised and that their team are presently in Ikorodu West where they have successfully captured three major locations.
Reacting to allegations that INEC officials are demanding and collecting N1000 from residents before attending to them, Mr Ogunmosunle stated that CVR is free and nobody should pay any official.
“The CVR process is free and nobody should pay any INEC officials for the services being rendered”.
He stated that the CVR at the INEC office and other centres starts at 9am and closes 4pm every day and added that his men are willing and ready to capture eligible residents.
“It is a crime to demand and collect inducement in Nigeria. Residents with proof of this misconduct by our officials should bring it to my attention.
Residents from Adamo, Maya, Ita-Oluwo, Bamgbelu , Igbo-Olomu and other areas of Ikorodu Constituency I had complained that many of their residents have not been captured by INEC despite making themselves available.
A resident of Maya had also alleged that INEC officials are demanding for N1000 from residents before they could be captured.
