January 15,(THEWILL) – Pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has called on the Southeast governors to make permanent voter cards (PVC) a prerequisite for people of the region to register their children in school, payment of salary, and access to markets, among others.
Speaking through its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, in a statement, urged Ndigbo to take advantage of the extended period of the collection of PVCs by INEC.
According to him, southeast governors should put stringent strategies in place that will compel Igbos to go to their political wards and collect their uncollected PVCs in the 95 LGAs of the southeast.
“This is a clarion call to all eligible Igbo voters to go out and get their uncollected PVCs from the wards in the 774 LGAs across the country, where they are residents. This is a rare prospect to re-launch the southeast back to the centre and get their desired dividends of democracy.
“The southeast governors should arrange mobilisation strategies and enlightenment awareness campaigns through the party leaders at the ward levels and elected or appointed councillors to appeal to Ndigbo to go and collect their PVCs before the expiration date of January 29, 2023.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo urges the southeast governors to put up strict regulations in place to ensure that all Igbo parents must present their PVCs before registering their children back to schools. All Workers should not earn their salaries without showing their PVCs.
“We call on state governors to declare work-free days and public holidays for civil and public servants to go and collect their PVCs. Meanwhile, Igbo traders and motorists must show their PVCs before they gain access to the markets and motor parks. This is the only way to get Igbos compelled to go to the wards for their uncollected PVCs.
“Ndigbo should not allow this opportunity to pass by without doing the needful, as it’s a wake-up call to all eligible Igbo voters across the country to rise and pick up their PVCs wherever they are residents. From the records of INEC data, Igbo voters constitute about 45% of all eligible voters across the country.
“The population of eligible Igbo voters across the country can contribute to the victory of any presidential candidate of their choice. That is why everyone should aggressively come out to rewrite the history of the Igbo by collecting their PVCs and voting for the advancement and progress of Nigeria in the 2023 elections, let us make hay while the sun is shining.
“Southeast governors, southeast religious leadership, association of town unions president-generals in the southeast, southeast market leaders, students, and community leaders should jointly ensure that all PVCs get to all the eligible Voters in the southeast.
“We are collaborating with Igbo governors to make sure that uncollected PVCs reach the owners before the elections and we are ready to take extra measures through special arrangements to ensure that PVCs are shared with all eligible voters through the use of traditional institutions and church leadership to assist in the disbursements of PVCs across the 95 LGAs of the southeast”, the statements read.
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