Hello 👋 👋👋 Guys I hope everyone is doing fantastic. I will be sharing my experience both before and after registering for my Permanent Voters Card (P.V.C.) two days ago.
WHAT IS PVC?
PVC stands for Permanent Voters Card, which is issued to Nigerian citizens who are 18 years of age or older and who registered for it while the registration process was ongoing. A Nigerian citizen with a PVC has the right to vote for any candidate of his choice.
PVC REGISTRATION PROCEDURE
There are two methods of getting a PVC ,Either you complete it entirely physically or partially online. The partially online method requires you to register online and provide personal information (such as your name, age, place of residence, occupation and so on) before visiting an Independent National Electoral Commission (I.N.E.C.) official to complete your biometrics. The fully physical method requires you to complete all of your registration at an INEC office.I actually preferred the partially online process because it is quick and less stressful, but sadly, I made the mistake of forgetting to include my passport photos when I completed the registration online, which resulted in it being rejected and removing the option from my options, so I had to choose the physical process.
MISERABLE ATTEMPT
I tried a few times before I ultimately registered for my PVC, but they didn't work. I chose to go to the school where I had been told PVC registration takes place because it was nearby. However, when I arrived, I was informed that registration had been moved again to another location. Since I didn't have my debit card with me at this point, I had to check the money I had on hand and realized the transportation fare wouldn't be enough. I was forced to return home, which made me angry because it was a wasted effort.
HOW I REGISTERED FOR MY PVC
Less than five days remained until the registration deadline(which had already been postponed twice), so I made the decision to do everything in my power to register for it. I request my father to phone a community leader to find out the precise location where I will register for my PVC; he did so, and I was instructed to arrive early to a given location in order to be attended to, the location is about an hour's drive from my home.Before the day of my registration, I set a wake-up alarm for 5 a.m, the next day the alarm rang and I finally woke up at 5:30 a.m. After taking my bath, getting dressed, and saying a few prayers, I then left my house at around 6 a.m., moved to the park where I would board a bus, and waited for up to an hour before it became full. I then explained to the driver where I was going, but to my surprise, he dropped me off in the wrong location . I finally got there around 8am and believed a lot of people would have done their registration and just remaining a few unserious ones like me, on getting there I met about 200 people already on the queue , OMG ! when will it get to my turn, I felt so bad that I had to meet an official who told me I came late that some were already there since 3am.Will I return home having squandered another effort? I then made the decision to find a way out. Fortunately, I managed to sneak into the building without obtaining a number (one must have a number in order to enter the building).
However, when I got inside, I was informed that they would only be attending to those who had a number.
At this point, I was about to leave, but their boss interrupted by calling out some names and numbers.
I quickly checked the book in his hand, memorized one of the names and numbers, and then lied to him It was me( I don’t like telling lies though), i believed the real person would have done his own earlier.At this point, some men in uniform entered to control the crowd, which made me incredibly nervous. I kept thinking that if I was caught, I would be charged with impersonating someone else and would face consequences; over here, the military is notoriously harsh toward civilians.
Fortunately for me, I was not caught . Later, the man helped me and I finally registered for my PVC . I was instructed not to laminate the slip that was given to me, but rather to make a photocopy and store a backup image on my phone. Next I will be called to pick up my card.
Try as hard as you can to obtain your PVC and cast your ballot for the appropriate candidates, voting registration expires on July 31, 2022, but I believe it will still be extended once more. The days of being misled into believing that your vote wouldn't count are long gone. Get your PVC and vote!
Gratitude for reading.
DISCORD: samzy#5007
