Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, has expressed worry at the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River, saying most eligible voters are yet to pick theirs. Ita-Giwa expressed her concern Wednesday in Calabar in an interaction with journalists.
The PVCs deployed to Bakassi in July 2014 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were 6,325 but as at Jan. 27, only 1,218 had been distributed there. Ita-Giwa, however, said that the poor collection rate was because most registered voters in the area currently live in Cameroon where they fend for their families.
“The only challenge we have right now is the PVC. At the time of registration, most of our people went back to Cameroon to do their farming. Luckily, the Cameroonian government cooperated with us because these Bakassi indigenes are living in Cameroon as Nigerians.We sent boats there to bring the people to register but unfortunately at the time that the PVC was being distributed, they could not come.
“That was the period we had Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria when Cameroon shut their borders to us. I gathered that Bakassi has the lowest percentage right now in terms of uncollected PVC.
“Now that the EVD threat is no longer there, we have made arrangement for them to come back and get their PVCs and wait to cast their vote. Until we get settled properly at Day Spring, we would keep moving like this from Cameroon, Akwa Ibom and other neighbouring states to come and cast our votes,” she said.
Ita-Giwa, who is a member of the Women Mobilization Committee of the PDP presidential campaign, said Bakassi indigenes would cast their votes in the February 2015 elections.
According to her the PDP is cooperating with INEC to ensure the people of Bakassi are not disenfranchised.
“What happened in the February 2012 governorship election in Cross River State cannot happen again because we would not allow such thing to happen twice. As a matter of fact, the party did a letter to INEC advising the body to conduct elections in all designated polling units, especially in Day Spring 1 and 2. So, both the party and INEC cooperating. The fear of our being disenfranchised is not there,’’ she said.
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