The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 1,906,390 permanent voter cards (PVCs) have been collected ahead of the Osun State governorship election.
The figure represents 81.50% of the 2,339,233 registered voters in the state, according to INEC.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this in a statement.
“Out of the total of 2,339,233 registered voters in the State, 1,906,390 PVCs, representing 81.50 per cent, have been collected,” Mr Haruna said.
He added that the remaining 426,842 PVCs, representing 18.50%, had been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in line with the commission’s established practice.
INEC also said 6,101 people who applied to replace damaged, defaced or lost PVCs had printed downloadable copies of their cards.
The commission said it had published a polling-unit-by-polling-unit breakdown of collected PVCs on its website.
Police Deploy Thousands
With two days to the election, security agencies are also stepping up preparations across Osun State.
The Nigeria Police is deploying thousands of personnel across the state’s 30 local government areas as part of efforts to ensure a peaceful poll.
Police sources and official statements indicate that at least four officers will be assigned to each of the 3,673 polling units.
The deployment figure does not include personnel from other security agencies supporting the election.
INEC said it remained fully prepared to conduct what it described as a “free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive election”.
The commission also reassured political parties, civil society organisations, the media and voters in Osun State of its readiness for Saturday’s governorship poll.
