Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 disclosed that about 800,000 to 1 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are yet to be produced by the commission about five weeks to the rescheduled general election.
Jega made this known while addressing the Senate, stating that about 76% of the available PVCs have been distributed. He also assured the lawmakers that all PVCs will be ready and made available to the owners before the Saturday, March 28, 2015 date scheduled for the Presidential and Federal election.
Speaking on the use of the card readers, Jega said they were necessary to curtail electoral malpractices.
He said: “The use of card readers is one of the innovations introduced by INEC to improve the election process,” he said.
“The card readers are not used for voting. They are used to improve the integrity of the election process, and it is for accreditation.
“Using the card readers has enormous advantages. It can only read INEC cards, it authenticates the identity of registered voters, and the information is sent to the central server for analysis.”
He further hailed the shifting of the election dates as he says it will help the commission to adequately prepare for the polls.
