From Tom Garba, Yola
The Adamawa state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ibrahim Gaidam has lamented that over 127,000 Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) have not been collected by residents of the state since 2015.
Gaidam revealed that Yola North Local Council has the highest uncollected PVCs of 34,734, follow by Yola South with 13,840, Mubi North, 10,236, Fufore, 9225, Ganye, 7,961), Demsa, 6,875, Madagali, 6,727) and Shelleng, 5,183.
He debunked the rumours that the continued voter registration exercise in the state will end in January, saying the exercise which began on April 27, 2017 and is still on-going has registered a total number of 154,791 new voters as at January 25, 2018 and that the exercise will continue beyond January.
He warned politicians and political parties against premature campaigns for elective positions via indiscriminate placement of posters and billboards which according to him amounts to serious violation of election laws that restrict campaigns to within days to election.
Gaidam, who spoke in Yola at the weekend during a stakeholders meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said the practice speaks very little of politicians and their intentions and might portray them in a negative light as desperate people who want to grab power at all cost.
He advised politicians against hate speech, even as he charged them to design ideologically sound programmes and campaigns strategies that will enhance the credibility of elections and electoral processes in the country.
Gaidam decried the state of political apathy in Adamawa, saying despite INEC’s registering 68 political parties in the country, there are only 12 political parties with recognisable offices in the state.
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