The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the total number of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) that have been collected by Nigerian voters so far, three days before the general election.
The campaign council is concerned about the reliability of the election results and is requesting that INEC provide a breakdown of the number of PVCs collected in each state and local government area of the country.
Babatunde Fashola, the director of election planning and monitoring for the APC presidential campaign council and the minister of Works and Housing, made this appeal at a press conference held in Abuja.
He emphasized the importance of transparency in the electoral process and said that releasing information about the number of PVCs collected would help ensure a free and fair election.
Fashola's call for transparency reflects the tension and uncertainty surrounding Nigeria's general election. The announcement of the results will have significant implications for the country's political future and the peace and stability of the region.
The APC and its rival party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), have both accused each other of manipulating the electoral process and have made appeals for a free and fair election.
“We are prepared,” said the former governor of Lagos. “We have trained agents. We are in the home stretch of the election and we think it is important now that INEC, the regulator, let us, all the parties and the nation, know how many people actually collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).”
“I think it is very important for the credibility of the results and the credibility of the elections. We have been acquainted with how many people were registered, but we don’t have the number of how many people who collected PVCs, and that is very important to ask.
“And I think I speak the minds of all the parties; how many people collected PVCs, the breakdown of the PVCs collection per state and per local government and to every unit of electoral activity that INEC can provide that information.
“We think it is a very important piece of information that will help INEC reinforce the credibility of the exercise that it is undertaking. Other than that, we are busy doing what we do best – preparing, planning.”