Newz— Enugu begins exercise, urges voters to verify register By Steve Oko, Jeff Agbodo & Chinedu Adonu The commencement of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection in parts of the South-East on Friday was marked by frustration in Abia State over the absence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials at some centres, while Ebonyi recorded low turnout, with few registered voters showing up to check their details or collect their cards. In Enugu State, however, INEC urged eligible voters to take advantage of the ongoing PVC collection and the display of the voters’ register for claims and objections ahead of the 2027 general elections. Abia: Voters stranded at collection centres Eligible voters in Umuahia, Abia State, expressed anger and disappointment over their inability to collect their PVCs on the opening day of the nationwide exercise, following the absence of INEC officials at some designated centres.
At Ugba Primary School, Umuahia, no INEC staff was sighted when Vanguard visited at about 2pm. Similarly, no official was seen at School Road Primary School when a correspondent visited at about 2.42pm. Inquiries indicated that officials who had earlier arrived for the exercise had left.
Some prospective voters, who said they had made repeated trips to the centres, accused INEC of frustrating their efforts to obtain their PVCs ahead of the 2027 elections. One of them, Mr Innocent Odoenelam, a resident of World Bank Housing Estate, Umuahia, said he rushed to the centre after hearing a radio announcement that the cards were ready for collection, only to be told that officials had closed for the day. Odoenelam, who said he arrived at about 2.30pm, described the experience as discouraging, noting that the official closing time was 3pm.
He urged INEC to ensure its personnel remained at designated centres throughout the stipulated hours, warning that difficulties in registering and collecting PVCs could discourage eligible voters from participating in elections. “I feel heavily disappointed because I left a lot of things I should be doing to rush down here to pick up my PVC. He, however, vowed to return on Monday, saying he remained determined to vote.
Another voter, Mr Francis Egwuibe, said he arrived at the centre as early as 8.30am but left after waiting beyond 9am without seeing any official. By Steve Oko UMUAHIA — Eligible voters in Umuahia, Abia State, on Friday expressed anger and disappointment over their inability to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) on the opening day of the nationwide collection exercise, following the absence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials at some designated centres. At Ugba Primary School, Umuahia, no INEC official was sighted when Vanguard visited the centre at about 2pm.
A similar situation was observed at School Road Primary School, Umuahia, where no electoral official was present when the correspondent visited at about 2:42pm. Inquiries at the centres, however, indicated that officials who had earlier arrived for the exercise had left. He urged INEC to ensure that its personnel remained at designated centres throughout the announced collection hours, warning that difficulties in registering and collecting PVCs could discourage eligible citizens from participating in elections.
Summary from source