The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has called on the South-East governors to take advantage of the extended period of the collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by putting stringent strategies that will compel residents to pick up their uncollected PVCs in the 95 local government areas of the region.
The Igbo apex socio-political body, in a statement yesterday by its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, also called on eligible Igbo voters to go out and get their uncollected PVCs from the wards in the 774 LGAs across the country where they are residents.
They said this is a rare prospect to relaunch the South-East back to the centre and get their desired dividends of democracy.
It stated, “The South-East governors should arrange mobilisation strategies and enlightenment awareness campaigns through the various party leaders at the ward levels and elected or appointed councillors to coerce Ndigbo to go and collect their PVCs before the expiration date of 29th January 2023.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo urged the South-East governors to put up strict regulations in place to ensure that all Igbo parents must present their PVCs before registering their children back to school.
It also advised that workers should not earn their salaries without showing their PVCs, adding, “We call on state governors to declare work-free days and public holidays for civil and public servants to go and collect their PVCs, meanwhile Igbo traders and Motorists must show their PVCs before they gain access to the Markets and Motor parks, this is the only way to get Igbos compelled to go to the wards for their uncollected PVCs.
“Ndigbo should not allow this opportunity to pass by without doing the needful, as it’s a wake-up call to all eligible Igbo voters across the country to rise and pick up their PVCs wherever they are residents.”
It noted that from the records in INEC data, Igbo voters constitute about 45 per cent of all eligible voters across the country, and the population of eligible Igbo voters across the country can contribute to the victory of any presidential candidate of their choice.
“That is why everyone should aggressively come out and rewrite the history of the Igbo by collecting their PVCs and vote for the advancement and progress of Nigeria in the 2023 elections, let us make hay while the sun is shining,” it added.
The group added, “South-East governors, religious leadership, an association of town unions, president-generals, market leaders, students, and community leaders should jointly ensure that all PVCs get to all the eligible voters in the South-East.
“We are collaborating with Igbo governors to make sure that uncollected PVCs reach the owners before the elections and we are ready to take extra measures through special arrangements to ensure that PVCs are shared with all eligible voters through the use of Traditional institutions and Church leadership to assist in the disbursements of PVCs across the 95 LGAs of the South-East.”
