By Emma Una

Calabar— INDEPENDENT National Electoral commission, INEC, in Cross River State has achieved 70 percent distribution of Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, to registered voters  and efforts are being made for all the cards to be distributed  before the  end of January 2019.

INEC PVCs

Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for the state, Dr. Frankland Briyai, told Vanguard, yesterday, in Calabar that the commission had to participate in the 2018 Carnival Calabar to carry out enlightenment campaign to educate voters on the need to collect their PVCs and also how to vote in the 2019 elections.

He said: “This is the third time INEC is participating in the Carnival Calabar and principally the exercise is for voter -education and publicity on how Nigerians can  carry out their civic responsibility with regards to the 2019 elections and we did that through dramatic presentations at the carnival.”

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He said all the PVCs in the state were ready for collection and voters should to go to council headquarters where they registered and would be directed to where they can collect their voters cards.

“Basically, those who do not collect their PVCs will not have the opportunity to participate  in the 2019 elections  and  if they do not vote,  those who collect theirs would vote for candidates of their choice which may not be the choice of those who do not vote so everybody should collect his or her PVC  and ensure he/she  votes in the election.”

He cautioned against slotting the cards inside wallets and carrying them about as they  are principally  for voting and not for banking transactions or other activities.

Also speaking,  Director of Voter Enlightenment  at the INEC headquarters, Abuja, Mr Osazie Bamidele said the card readers would be used during the 2019 elections whether the amended 2010 Electoral Act was signed into law or not and that the commission was putting  modalities in place  for effective training of electoral officers to handle the card readers and also ensure their maximum effectiveness nationwide during the elections.