In less than eight days to Nigeria’s long awaited general elections, with many Nigerians envisaging and keeping high expectation for
the alleged long awaited ‘change’, it is also becoming an unbelievable reality that most Nigerians will be disenfranchised.
Such Nigerians could be easily seen and interacted with in parts of the country, especially in Ajuwon area of Ogun State, where many residents are yet to be given their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
Some aggrieved residents where seen gathered en mass around 8.am on Thursday February 5, at the entrance of Ajuwon High School, in Ogun State, the slated venue for the distribution of PVCs, waiting endlessly for officials of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to distribute their PVCs but unfortunately, they (INEC officials) never showed up.
Registered voters waiting helplessly to collect their PVCs at Ajuwon area of Ogun state Image Credit- Vincent Ehiabhi
Registered voters waiting helplessly to collect their PVCs at Ajuwon area of Ogun state
Image Credit- Vincent Ehiabhi
Reacting to the development, some of the affected residents blamed the state INEC officials, saying they always have a snail approach to pressing issues like this. Most of the potential voters expressed diverse expectation on the outcome of the exercise and particularly condemned the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mr. Timothy Ibitoye for handling the exercise with levity.
Meanwhile, Ibitoye had, on Wednesday February 4, at a mobilisation and sensitisation forum organised by the commission held at the June 12 cultural centre in Abeokuta, the state capital expressed readiness for the general elections expected to commence on February 14, saying that proactive measures have been put in place to ensure a hitch free exercise.
But, Tunde, a resident of Ajuwon who is a teacher by profession said: “I have been coming here since INEC postponed the collection date but I have never met any INEC official here. I came yesterday, the gate man told me they (INEC officials) will come by 12.00pm but they didn’t, I left this place by 4.00pm yesterday, they didn’t come. ”
Mrs Adewale, who said she resides in Baale/Akunwonjo area of Akute, Ogun State, said: “I am a civil servant, I know what I had to go through before coming here this morning and these people are not here. I came yesterday, the gate man told me they will come by 12.pm, my brother I left here around 4.pm, I never saw them.”
However, one Mr Gbenga Oladipo revealed to Naij.com that he has met INEC official at the venue once but insisted they didn’t work up to 30 minutes before packing up to leave.
“I was returning from my children’s school after I had gone to pick them that afternoon, when I saw them (INEC officials). I quickly came back but they told me they were packing up that they were done for the day, and the people that I met here were complaining that the INEC workers didn’t stay up to 30 minutes,” Oladepo said.
Another victim of the endless wait, Kingsley Offor, a business man revealed that he came from Egbeda area of the neighbouring Lagos State to collect his PVC but was disappointed by the attitude of the state INEC.
Offor explained that he did his voters registration in 2011, when he was still residing in Akute before he moved permanently to Lagos in 2013.
“I spent a thousand naira plus coming here this morning and these people have not showed up till now, this is 2.30pm, when will they now come? This is bad. Some of the people are even saying they have been coming here since Monday and up till now nothing,” he said.
Other angry residents who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that it is part of the antics of the INEC and presidency to postpone the elections.
The Waiting Game Continued On Friday
The endless waiting game reportedly continued on Friday February 6, at the Ajuwon Village Centre as Niaj.com was reliably informed that INEC officials still did not show up at the scheduled venue for PVCs distribution.
Many people who came all the way from Olambe, tipper garage, akute, alagbole, ajuwon areas of the state, were seen loitering the venue.
It was gathered that one of the resident called someone in INEC office in Ifo and was instructed by the INEC official to come to Ifo to collect his PVC.
Some of the aggrieved residents who spoke on condition of anonymity said many people have been coming to the supposed venue for the past two weeks with no sign of INEC officials.
A resident, who didn’t want his name in print said a politician in the area was alleged to have gone and collected the PVCs on behalf of registered residents.
However, when the potential voters got tired of waiting for INEC officials whom they knew were not going to show up following the information given to the man that called someone in INEC’s office, they (residents) decided to donate money to mobilise some of them to Ifo to get the PVCs.
The sum of 2, 200 naira was successfully donated but a man among them refused to contribute, saying ‘INEC frowns at paying for PVCs,’ an assertion that got others angry and demanded that their money should be refunded to them.
The security man at the school disclosed that INEC has not come to the school to officially inform them that the school would be used for distribution of PVCs, contrary to the claims of some residents who said they have gone to Ifo and were told that the school would be used for PVCs distribution in the area.
With this development, it became obvious that no one knows how over thousands of people that registered in the neighbourhood would get their PVCs for next week’s polls.
But, another resident claimed same thing happened in 2011 when they registered in the area but could not get their voter’s card to cast their votes.
The waiting game, however, continues as INEC’s deadline for PVCs collection expires on Sunday, February 8, 2015.
The aforementioned development therefore brings to mind how prepared the INEC really is in conducting February 14 and 28 general elections. The uncertainty accompanying preparations for the polls grew thicker on Wednesday February 4 after a commissioner for the Independent Nigerian Electoral Committee, Amina Zachary told an international media, Reuters that the electoral umpire may postpone the general elections if the number of PVCs distributed are too low.
But the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega has continued to insist that all is well with the commission’s preparations assuring that the polls will hold as earlier scheduled.
Meanwhile, the Lagos state government has declared Friday, February 6 a public holiday to allow people the time to get their voters cards.\
Such Nigerians could be easily seen and interacted with in parts of the country, especially in Ajuwon area of Ogun State, where many residents are yet to be given their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
Some aggrieved residents where seen gathered en mass around 8.am on Thursday February 5, at the entrance of Ajuwon High School, in Ogun State, the slated venue for the distribution of PVCs, waiting endlessly for officials of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to distribute their PVCs but unfortunately, they (INEC officials) never showed up.
Registered voters waiting helplessly to collect their PVCs at Ajuwon area of Ogun state Image Credit- Vincent Ehiabhi
Registered voters waiting helplessly to collect their PVCs at Ajuwon area of Ogun state
Image Credit- Vincent Ehiabhi
Reacting to the development, some of the affected residents blamed the state INEC officials, saying they always have a snail approach to pressing issues like this. Most of the potential voters expressed diverse expectation on the outcome of the exercise and particularly condemned the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mr. Timothy Ibitoye for handling the exercise with levity.
Meanwhile, Ibitoye had, on Wednesday February 4, at a mobilisation and sensitisation forum organised by the commission held at the June 12 cultural centre in Abeokuta, the state capital expressed readiness for the general elections expected to commence on February 14, saying that proactive measures have been put in place to ensure a hitch free exercise.
But, Tunde, a resident of Ajuwon who is a teacher by profession said: “I have been coming here since INEC postponed the collection date but I have never met any INEC official here. I came yesterday, the gate man told me they (INEC officials) will come by 12.00pm but they didn’t, I left this place by 4.00pm yesterday, they didn’t come. ”
Mrs Adewale, who said she resides in Baale/Akunwonjo area of Akute, Ogun State, said: “I am a civil servant, I know what I had to go through before coming here this morning and these people are not here. I came yesterday, the gate man told me they will come by 12.pm, my brother I left here around 4.pm, I never saw them.”
However, one Mr Gbenga Oladipo revealed to Naij.com that he has met INEC official at the venue once but insisted they didn’t work up to 30 minutes before packing up to leave.
“I was returning from my children’s school after I had gone to pick them that afternoon, when I saw them (INEC officials). I quickly came back but they told me they were packing up that they were done for the day, and the people that I met here were complaining that the INEC workers didn’t stay up to 30 minutes,” Oladepo said.
Another victim of the endless wait, Kingsley Offor, a business man revealed that he came from Egbeda area of the neighbouring Lagos State to collect his PVC but was disappointed by the attitude of the state INEC.
Offor explained that he did his voters registration in 2011, when he was still residing in Akute before he moved permanently to Lagos in 2013.
“I spent a thousand naira plus coming here this morning and these people have not showed up till now, this is 2.30pm, when will they now come? This is bad. Some of the people are even saying they have been coming here since Monday and up till now nothing,” he said.
Other angry residents who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that it is part of the antics of the INEC and presidency to postpone the elections.
The Waiting Game Continued On Friday
The endless waiting game reportedly continued on Friday February 6, at the Ajuwon Village Centre as Niaj.com was reliably informed that INEC officials still did not show up at the scheduled venue for PVCs distribution.
Many people who came all the way from Olambe, tipper garage, akute, alagbole, ajuwon areas of the state, were seen loitering the venue.
It was gathered that one of the resident called someone in INEC office in Ifo and was instructed by the INEC official to come to Ifo to collect his PVC.
Some of the aggrieved residents who spoke on condition of anonymity said many people have been coming to the supposed venue for the past two weeks with no sign of INEC officials.
A resident, who didn’t want his name in print said a politician in the area was alleged to have gone and collected the PVCs on behalf of registered residents.
However, when the potential voters got tired of waiting for INEC officials whom they knew were not going to show up following the information given to the man that called someone in INEC’s office, they (residents) decided to donate money to mobilise some of them to Ifo to get the PVCs.
The sum of 2, 200 naira was successfully donated but a man among them refused to contribute, saying ‘INEC frowns at paying for PVCs,’ an assertion that got others angry and demanded that their money should be refunded to them.
The security man at the school disclosed that INEC has not come to the school to officially inform them that the school would be used for distribution of PVCs, contrary to the claims of some residents who said they have gone to Ifo and were told that the school would be used for PVCs distribution in the area.
With this development, it became obvious that no one knows how over thousands of people that registered in the neighbourhood would get their PVCs for next week’s polls.
But, another resident claimed same thing happened in 2011 when they registered in the area but could not get their voter’s card to cast their votes.
The waiting game, however, continues as INEC’s deadline for PVCs collection expires on Sunday, February 8, 2015.
The aforementioned development therefore brings to mind how prepared the INEC really is in conducting February 14 and 28 general elections. The uncertainty accompanying preparations for the polls grew thicker on Wednesday February 4 after a commissioner for the Independent Nigerian Electoral Committee, Amina Zachary told an international media, Reuters that the electoral umpire may postpone the general elections if the number of PVCs distributed are too low.
But the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega has continued to insist that all is well with the commission’s preparations assuring that the polls will hold as earlier scheduled.
Meanwhile, the Lagos state government has declared Friday, February 6 a public holiday to allow people the time to get their voters cards.\
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