Following the expiration of the two weeks deadline on August 31, 2018, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the newly crowned beauty queen of Yala nation, Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State, Miss Ogbaji Gloria Ebika, Friday, called for another extension over constraints youth and aged face.
Ebika made the call at a Permanent Voter Card registration and collection centre located at the Okpoma, Yala LGA headquarters, where she mobilised tonnes of students from the Cross River State University of Technology, (CRUTECH), Okuku Campus, to collect their PVCs ahead of the 2019 general elections in the country.
The new and reigning Miss Yala 2018 said that the deadline was not comfortable and will simply disenfranchise eligible voters, and it would affect the election.
According to her most of the PVC registration and collection centres are far away from the people, given example with Yala LGA headquarters, Okpoma, which is far apart with some communities, where most people do not have transport fare to come for registration and collection of their PVCs.
Miss Yala 2018 further stated that she collaborated with Office of the Director General, Cross River State Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau State, Barr Alphonsus Ogar Eba and Project 1000 to embark on the exercise as her first project to mobilise undergraduates in CRUTECT to come for registration of their PVCs as many students were yet to be registered.
She said, “I am actually here to make a movement in support of the ongoing Permanent Voter Card, PVC, registration exercise and to achieve that I had to hire a commercial bus. I went to the hostels in Cross River State University of Technology, CRUTEC, where I talk to the students and others around on reasons why they need to get their PVCs.
“They obliged and I was able to mobilize them to Yala Local Government headquarters in Okpoma for their registration. But we have an issue, that is why I am appealing to the federal government to extend the date for the PVC registration, because we have so many youths who are yet to be captured because the time is limited.
“So I would like the government to extend the time to enable them register as citizens and eligible voters in order for the electoral process in 2019 will not have problems.”
She also disclosed that her team and sponsors have demonstrated commitment and patriotism with other youth groups in the LGA to mobilise young people to register and collect their PVCs.
“I am doing this with my team and sponsors in collaboration with office of the DG, Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau of Cross River State and organizers of Project 1000”, she added.
In the same vein, the convener of Project 1000, Mr Dough Onah said, because of distance most communities have not gotten information about the August 31deadline for the registration and appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to give ample time that would enable the group continue the sensitisation and mobilisation of more people to register for their PVCs.
It would be recalled that the PVC registration exercise earlier ended on August 17, 2018, but following the cry and appeal of the people INEC extended by two weeks, which ends August 31, 2018 as deadline.
