PVC Registration: Community Cries Of No Road Network

From Idongesit Inyang

CALABAR 

The Igede Edi community in Yala Local Government Area has complained of lack of road network for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reach it in the ongoing PVC registration in the country.

“As it stands now, half of our people remain unregistered and may be disenfranchised”, a community leader and former Igedeward councillor, Patrick Agogo, told journalists recently.

Lamenting about the bad road network in the community, Agodosaid “the attendant effect is that many are already disenfranchised and unless something is done urgently, the community residents won’t participate in the general elections.”

According to him, “How can our people not be registered, even when they are willing and very eager to participate in the electoral process and you come here only to tell us that we can’t register and get our PVCs due to poor and bad road network?”

He said that the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials to capture the community residents in the ongoing permanent voter’s card registration exercise may prevent them from participating in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

Blaming it on the absence of basic infrastructure in the area, he said this has stalled the biometric registration that aides the people to obtain their permanent voter’s cards (PVCs) to enable them take part in the general elections scheduled for next year.

He decried how they have been marginalized and abandoned by both the state the federal governments, explaining that “The only wood bridges that link the community with other communities in Yala LGA were locally constructed through effort of the community, Ehum Odudu to Oyoba Road bridge, Ehwum AGC Operikwu  to Owere Road bridge.

Hear him: “You cannot drive to our community as it stands now,” adding that “It’s the more reason why we are calling on the state and Federal Government to come to our rescue so that the community can have the basic infrastructure that can attract development into the community.”

“As  a people we deserve electricity and potable water for our people to live healthily. Our community has been so marginalized. Our people are in dire need of government presence,” he said.