2023: INEC inaugurates committees for national situation room, collation centre, moves PVC collection to LGA wards

Ahead of the 2023 General Elections slated to commence February, this year, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has inaugurated its committees for National Situation Room and Collation Centre.

This is just as the electoral umpire also said it commence devolution of collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to eligible registrants, effective from Friday, January 6 to Sunday 15, January 2023.

Making the disclosures, via its official Twitter handle, Thursday, Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, while inaugurating the committee, charged its members to start work in earnest and discharge their responsibilities diligently.

Prof. Yakubu, would head the Collaboration Secretariat Committee, while the National Commissioner, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, would chair the Situation Room Committee.

According to the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, the Commission, during its weekly meeting on Thursday had deliberated on several issues, including the venue for the national situation room and collation centre for the 2023 general elections.

”As general elections approach, the commission establishes a national situation room and collation centre where the results of presidential elections are collated.

”Once again, the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja will serve as the venue for this important exercise,” the commission stated.

Okoye further explained that the commission also established two committees: ”First is the Collation Secretariat, where presidential election results from the states will be collated.

“This will be headed by the chairman of the commission, in exercising his constitutional responsibilities as the Chief Electoral Commissioner of the Federation and Returning Officer for the presidential election. In addition, a few technical staff will assist him.

”The second is the Situation Room and Collation Centre Committee.

”This shall be responsible for the preparation of the venue, seating arrangement, utilities and services, security, the accreditation of party agents, as well as the national and international observers, media, etc.”

Members of the committee include; National Commissioners: Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, and Festus Okoye; Director of Electoral Operations; ICT; Planning and Monitoring.

Others include: directors of Security; Election and Party Monitoring; International Cooperation and Protocol; Research; Health Services, as well as, Director of Estate, Works and Transport.

Also listed were; Chief Technical Adviser to the chairman; Special Adviser to the chairman; Chief Press Secretary to the chairman; while director of the Commission Secretariat will serve as Secretary.

Meanwhile, the electoral body has disclosed that with effect from Friday, January 6 and through to Sunday, 15, it would commence devolution of collection of PVCs to eligible registrants, to various wards across the country.

The cards were previously left for collection at the 774 local government area (LGA) headquarters.

National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, who disclosed this, Thursday in a statement, said that collection of the PVC commenced last December at the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the country.

Okoye recalled that the decision to devolve the collection of the voting item at Registration Areas/Wards was taken at a retreat held last December in Lagos, with all the Administrative Secretaries and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory in attendance.

The INEC National Commissioner enjoined all validly registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs to ‘seize the opportunity of the devolution to the wards to do so.’

“After the 15th of January 2023, the exercise will revert to the Local Government Area Offices of the Commission until the 22nd of January, 2023. All eligible and valid registrants can collect their PVCs from 9.00am to 3.00pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.

’’All those that applied for replacement of lost, damaged, or defaced PVCs can collect their PVCs at the Registration Area/wards during this period and the same thing applies to those that registered prior to the 2019 general election and are yet to collect their cards.

“The PVCs of those that applied for transfer are available for collection in the Local Governments and Registration Areas where they intend to vote and not in the State or Local Government where they carried out the transfer’’.

“The Commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians who trooped to our various Local Government Offices to collect their PVCs. In making the cards available for collection, the Commission is also working to ensure that the process is simple and hitch-free for Nigerians,” the statement read.

In a related development, INEC has also commenced online accreditation for journalists and media organisations wishing to cover the 2023 general election.

According to the flier issued by INEC on Thursday in Abuja, interested media organisations wishing to deploy journalists to cover the election are to apply via: https://imap.inecnigeria.org.

It stated that the portal would be accessible from Thursday, January 5 to Sunday, February 5.

“Late submission shall not be entertained as the portal will automatically shut down on Sunday, February 5 at 5pm.

“There shall be no manual accreditation,” the statement read.