The Osun State Government has declared Tuesday, July 28, a work-free day for public servants in the state to enable them collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), as the state intensifies preparations for the 15 August governorship election.
The directive comes as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) concludes the first phase of PVC distribution across the state’s 332 Registration Areas, with the exercise expected to continue at its 30 Local Government offices from 29 July to 7 August.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier disclosed that only 192,702 PVCs, representing 37.5 per cent of those distributed so far, had been collected by eligible voters across Osun State.
In a circular issued by the Head of Service, Ayanleye Aina, the state government said the work-free day applies to all public servants, including local government employees and workers in state-owned tertiary institutions.
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According to a statement by Governor Ademola Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the decision is intended to enable workers fulfil their civic responsibility by collecting their voter cards ahead of the governorship election and future elections in the state.
He noted that essential workers, including medical personnel and security officers, are directed to make internal arrangements to ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical services to the public.
The governor urged all eligible voters who have yet to collect their PVCs to do so without delay.
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“Your vote is your power. Your voter’s card is your licence to the ballot paper and, by extension, to the ballot box,” the governor said.
The governor’s directive comes amid heightened political activities including campaigns and rallies ahead of the governorship poll, in which he is also seeking re-election.
The election is expected to feature major contenders including the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, alongside candidates of other political parties.
INEC preparations for the poll
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Oluwatoyin Babalola, during the Osun Citizens’ Town Hall Meeting in Osogbo on Sunday, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to delivering a peaceful, credible and transparent electoral process. She added that every valid vote will count in the upcoming election.
Mrs Babalola expressed that the commission had concluded most of its preparations for the election exercise, while awaiting the arrival of sensitive materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). She added that the commission had recruited ad hoc staff, scheduled their training and intensified voter education campaigns to encourage eligible voters to participate in the poll.
“We have deployed various platforms to educate voters on the importance of exercising their civic responsibility. Every vote will count and we encourage all eligible voters to come out on Election Day,” she said.
The REC also disclosed that INEC had identified potential flashpoints across the state, including areas prone to political violence, cult-related activities and communal clashes, and had shared intelligence with security agencies for proactive deployment.
READ ALSO: INEC set to introduce downloadable PVCs, full online voter registration
“Security concern and information had already been shared with security agencies to enable proactive deployment and effective security arrangements,” she stated.
She added that the commission would conduct a mock accreditation exercise on 1 August in four local government areas, one from each senatorial district to test the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of election day.
Armed men disrupt collection process, flee with PVCs
The PVC collection exercise in Osun State has also been overshadowed by security concerns.
On Sunday, armed hoodlums attacked an INEC PVC distribution centre in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area, carting away an unspecified number of voter cards.
The incident drew condemnation from INEC, the police and political stakeholders, who called for a thorough investigation.
However, the Osun State Police Command told PREMIUM TIMES via a phone call no one has been arrested in connection with the attack, but noted that investigation is ongoing.
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