The Abuja School
Continuing our exploration of the electoral landscape of 2023, this second installment of the ASSPT series delves deeper into the commendations extended to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Join us as we dissect the decisions and actions that shaped the trajectory of electoral management during this pivotal period. Our responsibility is to analyze data from the field regarding how INEC prepares for free and fair polls and propose interventions that will strengthen the fairness and efficiency of the elections. This week we focus on the collection of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) by registered voters. Last week, we commended the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for extending the deadline for collection of PVCs and showing more commitment to deal with some of the bottlenecks that inhibit easy collection of PVC. Ever since, we have continued to monitor collections across the country. Whereas we have noticed some improvement across the country, there is still so many outstanding issues to resolve. We are worried that there are too many reports of deliberate refusal or reluctance of INEC officials to give PVCs to registered voters. There is also many anecdotal evidence of ethnic or religious profiling of registered voters. Such report is more from Lagos State, which has a history of vote suppression based on ethnic profiling. We had expected serious response from INEC on these allegations. But so far the practice has persisted. In other places, there are reports of extortion of desperate Nigerian by INEC official who are allegedly charging fees before collection of PVC. In Abia State, such practice was rampant that an INEC official charged those who seek to collect their PVC from offering any money to officials.
Matters arising on PVC collection:
The collection of PVC started on December 12, 2022 and expected to end January 22, 2023. But the deadline was later extended to January 29, 2023
Mr. Festus Okoye, National Commissioner of INEC and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, provided the justification for the extension of the deadline as evidence that “The Commission is determined to ensure that registered voters are able to collect their PVCs in plenty of time before the election.”. As the deadline draws near, many registered voters are yet to collect their voter cards. In many cases due to the misbehavior of INEC staff who collude with politicians to deny some registered voters their PVC, and in many cases, due to avoidable operational hitches. Some stakeholders, including political parties, have raised concerns about the process before the extension was granted.
They complain about slow pace of work. Others complain of obstruction of INEC officials or inadequate arrangement for a more grassroots collection. There are concerns about students who have returned to school but registered at home while schools were closed due to prolonged strikes. The question is whether it is reasonable to expect these students to leave school, go back home and collect their PVCs within the period allocated by INEC for PVC collection.
The INEC said it has captured a total of 93,469,008 eligible voters in its voters register following the final clean-up of double registration and underage voters. The commission also stated that out of the 93,469,008 registered voters for the 2023 general election, women voters constituted 44,414846 or 48 per cent, while men constituted 49,054162 or 52 per cent. The youths (18-35) constituted 37,060,399 or 40 per cent. According to the commission, most of the states with low PVCs collection rates were states where off-season governorship elections were conducted.
Some INEC officials have blamed the prevailing culture of indifference as the reason for high number of uncollected PVCs. Whereas, it is true that Nigerians electorates may have shown indifference in the past, we are seeing greater commitment to vote as a result of the precarious state of affairs in the country. Our people report high level of turnout to collect PVC. We can also report that a significant number of registered voters have been turned away on the ground that their cards are not available or are yet to be printed. All these logistic failures are avoidable with better planning and round-the-clock registration and collection of voter cards.
It is obvious that the greater blame lies on the system put in place by the electoral management body to manage the logistics of registration and collection of voter card. Many have questioned the value of waiting last minutes to begin collection of voter cards, considering the time sensitivity of the electoral process. In the context of INEC’s low efficiency of technical operations, it is willful to assume that all voter cards will be collected within such a short period.
The most damaging aspect of the whole exercise is credible evidence of structural and strategic denial of PVC in some part of Nigeria, particularly Lagos state, where officials connive with political potentates to frustrate some citizens from collecting PVC or deliberately slow the pace to run out time. Also notorious are several reported attempts to deny PVC on one spurious ground or the other. We have to note with emphasis the fact that students are the largest single demographic in this election and many of them will be systematically disenfranchised if the logistics of collection is not adapted to suit their peculiar circumstances. These failures need to be addressed satisfactorily.
Mitigating Actions:
We note with some delight some of the responses of INEC and state governments to ensure that registered voters collect their voter cards. It is commendable that many state governments have declared public holidays to enable their citizens go out and collect their PVCs. Governors Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State; Ben Ayade of Cross River State; and Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, have approved work-free days to enable civil servants in their states to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). A statement signed by Akeredolu’s Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, said the declaration of Tuesday, January 24, 2023, as a public holiday by the governor was to enable all eligible voters in the state to collect their PVCs at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-designated centres in their respective local government areas. On his part, Ayade approved January 26 and 27 as work-free days in the state to enable civil servants to collect their PVCs. Governor Oyebanji has also declared January 24, a work-free day. The Ogun State Government has declared Tuesday, 24th, and Wednesday, 25th January, as work-free days for workers in the state public service to enable them to collect their permanent voter cards (PVCs). Also, David Umahi of Ebonyi declared a two-day public holiday from Thursday to Friday for all civil and public servants, including primary and secondary schools, for the collection of Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) in the state.
Proposed Response:
INEC has done well to take collection centers closer to the people as a way of ensuring smoother collection. But it has failed to respond effectively to the deliberate disenfranchisement of Nigerians in places like Lagos State, lack of diligence by its own staff and inadequate logistics for collection of voter’s cards. It is time for INEC to consider the collection of voter’s cards as a national emergency for the 2023 elections and deploy radical measures to respond to it. For example, INEC must shift its mentality to meet the challenge of students in universities and other tertiary institutions who may not have return to home to collect PVC. Should the commission not be able to send their PVCs to their school addresses or aggregate these registrants and deliver to them at current places of schooling. The bottom line is that everyone should collect their PVCs so that we do not deprive any Nigeria the constitutional right to vote.
INEC should establish a situation room to receive real-time feedback from registrants who are finding it difficult to collect their PVCs. Such a situation room will help for INEC to adapt its strategies to respond to the challenges. We recognize that the work is enormous. But it must be done so as not to deprive willing Nigerians the right to vote.