2023 Election: Religious Leaders, INEC Holds Strategic Interface Ahead of Polls, Details Emerge
- Ahead of next month's general elections, electorates have been charged to take the bull by the horn in deciding who becomes the next president of Nigeria
- The Justice Development and Peace Makers' Centre (JDPMC), a civil society group is one of those making this call to electorates
- JDPMC also appealed to registered voters yet to collect their permanent voters' card to be resilient and patient
Osun, Osogbo - The Justice Development and Peace Makers' Centre (JDPMC) has called on electoral stakeholders to ensure they obtain their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) ahead of the 2023 general election.
This call was made on Wednesday, January 25 in Osogbo, Osun state during an interface between religious leaders and the Osun state chapter of INEC.
Source: Facebook
According to a joint statement made available to Legit.ng and signed by Most Rev. John Oyejola Bishop and Sheik/Alhaji Musa Animashaun, the interface held conversations on the need for citizens to troop out in their numbers and exercise their civic responsibilities.
The statement reads:
PAY ATTENTION: Share your outstanding story with our editors! Please reach us through info@corp.legit.ng!
"It is important to note that the choices we make, why we make them, and how we make them; essentially determine the kind of leaders that emerge and consequently lead us.
"We, therefore, call on all registered voters to go out against all challenges to collect their Permanent Voters Card ahead of the 2023 general election.
"Family members are implored to aid persons in need of special support to access their LGA INEC offices within the few days left for the closing of PVC collection.
"Employers are to magnanimously permit their employees who may need to collect their PVCs during work hours to do so. We particularly call on the government of Osun State to grant the same privilege to civil servants."
2023 polls: Electorates urged to be resilient in PVC collection exercise
Meanwhile, registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs due to the current challenges in the process of distribution were urged to remain resilient and patient.
The statement reads:
"We ask for understanding with INEC considering the enormity of work that it requires to produce and deploy PVCs and other sensitive election materials across a giant nation as Nigeria whose voting population is said to be higher than 11 million than those of 14 African countries put together.
"We also call on all voters to avail themselves of all the opportunities available to receive voter education ahead of the election."
The interface had the presence of Mutiu Agboke, the resident commissioner of the independent national electoral commission (INEC) and other religious faith leaders all in attendance.
2023: “Publish list of invalidated voters”, Yiaga Africa tells INEC
In another development, there is a growing appeal for INEC to conductively hasten the process of PVC collection.
Yiaga Africa urged INEC to help bridge the gap of having too many crowds at the PVC centres by publishing the names of invalidated registrants.
Executive director of the electoral observation group, Samson Itodo urged INEC to also consider extending the PVC collection deadline.
Source: Legit.ng
