Permanent Voters Card (PVC), Time To Vote Is Upon Us

By Onyekwere Akym Uche (O.A.U)

In one of my public messages to the good people of Abia state, I advocated for people to get their PVC, in which I reminded Abians and Nigerians that, your vote is your voice, your voice is power. The power is the will of the people. Use your powers, get your PVC. First of all I need to explain what the PVC stands for and the provision of the constitution on Nigeria electoral process.

PVC is the abbreviation for Permanent Voters Card. This card allows eligible person(s) in Nigeria to vote for his/her candidate of chosen. We have an electoral process which is govern by the Nigeria 1999 Constitution (as altered). Section 78 (Supervision of Election) of the Constitution provides that the registration of voters and the conduct of elections shall be subject to the direction and supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission. The Constitutional provisions relating to elections in Nigeria also provides for, Right to Peaceful Assembly and Association- Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution provides for the right of persons to form a political party or association. It states that every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular he/she may form or belong to any political party, trade union, or any other association for the protection of his/her interest, provided that the provisions of this Section shall not derogate from the powers conferred by the Constitution on the Independent National Electoral Commission concerning the Political Parties to which that Commission does not accord recognition.

An enactment of the Electoral Act of 2010 which derives its powers from the Nigeria 1999 Constitution, under Section 9(5) provides that the registration of voters, updating and revision of the register of voters shall stop not later than 30 days before any election in Nigeria, and the registration shall take place at registration centers designated for that purpose and shall be communicated to the general public by the Commission.

Section 12 of the Electoral Act further provides for the qualification of persons to be registered as a voter in the National Register of Voters. These qualifications are;

The applicant must be a citizen of Nigeria;
The applicant is 18years and above;
He is an ordinary resident, works in, originates from the Local Government/Area Council or Ward covered by the registration center;
He presents himself/herself to the registration officers of the Commission for registration as a voter and;
He is not subject to any legal incapacity such as insanity, to vote under any law, rule, or regulation in force in Nigeria.

Clearly, one would observe the significance and powers that a voter possesses to stem the tide of bad governance and corruption. An American science fiction writer and multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards, Octavia Estelle Butler quotes "Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears. To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool. To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen. To be led by a liar is to ask to be lied to. To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slaveryÔÇØ.

People present themselves for respective elective offices and try to woo the voters by solicitation for their votes, thereby offering no meaningful service if they get into office because they had to buy their way into office, yet to the detriment of the populace.

In the Nigeria Constitution, Qualifications for Election- Sections 65, 105 and 131 provides that a person shall be qualified for election in the various elective offices if he;

He is a citizen of Nigeria and has attained the age of 35years.
A member of the House of Representatives if he is a citizen of Nigeria and has attained the age of 25years.
He has been educated up to at least a secondary school leaving certificate or its equivalent;
He is a member of a political party and he is sponsored by that party.

2023 General election is coming up, this is the time for the people to register and get their PVC. It is time to decide our fate for good governance and prosperity in Abia state. Time to rule ourselves by ourselves for ourselves. The stakes are high, know that you have the power, but without your Permanent Voters Card (PVC) you are powerless and the suffering continues.

O.A.U 2023!!

The New Abia.

.