Voters in Umuahia, Abia State, expressed frustration on Friday after Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials failed to remain at several designated centres on the opening day of nationwide Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection.
At Ugba Primary School, no INEC staff were present when a reporter visited around 2pm. The same situation was observed at School Road Primary School about 40 minutes later. Enquiries indicated that officials who had earlier arrived for the exercise had already left.
Prospective voters who made repeated trips to the centres accused the commission of creating unnecessary obstacles ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Innocent Odoenelam, a resident of World Bank Housing Estate, said he hurried to the centre after hearing a radio announcement that the cards were ready for collection, only to learn that officials had closed for the day. He arrived at about 2:30pm, shortly before the official closing time of 3pm.
“I feel heavily disappointed because I left a lot of things I should be doing to rush down here to pick up my PVC. I feel discouraged,” he said. Odoenelam vowed to return on Monday, determined to obtain his card and vote.
Francis Egwuibe said he first visited as early as 8:30am but left after waiting past 9am without seeing any official. He returned in the afternoon only to find the staff had departed. He questioned why personnel could not stay for the full announced collection period, citing the time and transport costs incurred by voters, and called on INEC to properly brief its staff.
Chioma Njoku accused the commission of treating prospective voters as though they had little value, warning that such experiences risked discouraging people from participating in the electoral process.
At St Stephen’s Primary School, officials who had come for the distribution were said to have closed by the time a reporter arrived around 3:18pm.
INEC’s Abia spokesperson, Victor Abraham, promised to revert after making enquiries but had not done so by the time of filing.
A story of courage, wonder, and the transformative power of self-belief; perfect for readers aged 10+ who love adventure. To place order: +234 806 130 3237 | +234 803 582 0870 OR Tap the link to grab a copy:https://www.zeekapublish.com/product/the-magical-life-of-anna
