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.
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 general 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 learn that officials had closed for the day.
Odoenelam, who said he arrived at about 2:30pm, described the experience as discouraging, particularly as the stipulated closing time was 3pm.
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.
“I feel heavily disappointed because I left a lot of things I should be doing to rush down here to pick up my PVC. I feel discouraged,” he said.
Odoenelam, 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 INEC official.
He said he returned in the afternoon in another attempt to collect his card, only to discover that the officials had left.
Egwuibe questioned why INEC personnel could not remain at the centres throughout the announced collection period, considering the time and transportation costs incurred by voters.
He called on the commission to properly educate its staff on their responsibilities, saying the experience raised concerns about the conduct of the exercise.
Similarly, a female voter, Chioma Njoku, accused INEC of treating prospective voters as though they had no value, warning that such experiences could discourage citizens willing to participate in the electoral process.
The frustrated voters urged the commission to improve its arrangements and ensure that eligible citizens could collect their cards without unnecessary hardship.
At St. Stephen’s Primary School, INEC officials who had come for the PVC distribution were also said to have closed for the day when Vanguard’s correspondent visited at about 3:18pm.
When contacted, INEC spokesperson in Abia State, Mr Victor Abraham, promised to respond after making the necessary inquiries. However, he had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
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