Independent National Electoral Commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, has urged residents of the state to collect their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Onuoha made the appeal while monitoring the collection of PVCs in Uyo metropolis on Wednesday.
The INEC REC said that he was in the field to monitor the effectiveness of the voter cards collection exercise in the state.
He said that although residents were coming out to collect their PVCs, he was not really encouraged by the turnout.
He said, “It is important to collect your PVC, having a voter card is a condition for participating in elections.
“Anyone who has not registered or collected their PVC will not be able to vote in the forthcoming elections.”
Onuoha urged residents who registered between August and December 2025 to visit the collection centres to obtain their voter cards.
Commending INEC officials on duty at various collection centres for their patience and diligence during the exercise, Onuoha urged the media to continue to enlighten the public on the importance of collecting PVCs.
The REC said that the media remained a critical stakeholder in the electoral process.
Some residents of Uyo who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria commended the INEC officials for their conduct during the exercise.
One of them, Akanimo Paul, described the INEC officials on duty during the exercise as ‘thorough and well-mannered.’
He said, “I am impressed with the process, I encourage others who have yet to collect their PVCs to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Another resident, Mrs Grace Nsikan, described the collection process as fast, free and satisfactory.
She stressed, “You can see that the situation is calm. There is no fighting, there is no struggling at all.”
NAN