Even As INEC Extends By One Week Collection Of The PVC’s
There has been widespread speculation as to whether the Federal Government would allow the University authorities to close down various tertiary institutions to enable students collect their Permanent Voters Cards and vote in candidates of their choice in the forth coming February 25 general election.
But despite these calls from well- meaning Nigerians, indications are that the schools might be in session, thus disenfranchising most students. Many are of the opinion that this might adversely affect some parties, whose main potential voters’ bloc consist of the youths.
Consequently, many have extended their pleas to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to prevail on the University authorities to declare public holidays in schools and stop forthwith all academic activities, in order to enable students exercise their rights to vote.
Reacting, the chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said he had no such powers to issue such orders to tertiary institutions.
Speaking with PUNCH, INEC chairman’s media aide, Oyekanmi said it was beyond INEC to dictate to varsities on how to run their calender.
Oyekanmi’s remark was towards several pleas from stakeholders that universities should declare holidays for students to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and also vote in the coming polls.
He said, “Each university has a governing council that decides how the university should be run. I doubt it, although I stand to be corrected, if the National Universities Commission can indeed issue a directive to universities on when to go on holidays or operate.
“Don’t forget that we also have private and state universities that are not being funded by the Federal Government, although the NUC performs its oversight functions on their academic programmes, which are subjected to regular accreditation exercise.
“In the same manner, the Independent National Electoral Commission cannot compel any university to announce a holiday for election purposes. We don’t have such powers. This decision is best left to the governing council of the individual universities.”
A member of the House of Representatives, Kabir Tukura, had also on Thursday moved a motion titled, “Urgent Need to Give the Students of Tertiary Institutions of Learning in Nigeria an Opportunity to Vote in the General Elections.”
Tukura noted that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had said that 3.8 million of the newly registered voters were students, accounting for 40.8 per cent of the total number of newly registered voters.
Earlier, SaharaReporters had reported how some students at the Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTH) in Niger State had requested that their second-semester examination schedule for the 2020/2021 academic session be rescheduled so that they can travel to their respective states for the 2023 general election.
Some schools management had fixed their examinations, such as CHE 228, CIE 221, MCE 321, ABE 526, to hold a day before the general election and some courses for Monday, February 27, 2023 (two days after the poll).
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has again extended the deadline for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by an additional one week.
The PVC collection earlier scheduled to end on 29th January is now to continue until 5th February, said a statement by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had on Friday said his meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) will deliberate on the ongoing collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in its 774 Local Government Offices nationwide.
“Arising from reports from the various States and discussions with Resident Electoral Commissioners, the Commission has decided to further extend PVC collection in all its Local Government Offices nationwide by an additional one week,” Mr Okoye said.
“Collection period has further been extended by an additional two hours and will start at 9am and end at 5pm daily including Saturdays and Sundays.”
The Commission, however, said it did not print the PVCs of voters who engaged in double registration.
“The Commission will continue to act on all reported cases of sharp practices during the ongoing PVC collection and will ensure that no Nigerian is disadvantaged and all those that carried out valid registration have an opportunity of collecting their PVCs,” he added.
“The Commission once again salutes the patience and doggedness of citizens.”