Village and ward heads in Ketare, Kankara Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State, have been directed to ensure that all eligible persons in their domains are registered and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC).

Usman Bello, the District Head of Ketare, gave the directive when the Kankara LG INEC Electoral Officer, Yunusa Abdu, paid him a courtesy visit in his palace.

He called on the communities of the area to take advantage of the time extension by the Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC) to register and obtain their PVCs ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The district head, who is also the Kanwan Katsina, stressed the importance of the PVC, saying it was a constitutional right of every eligible citizen to exercise their franchise.

Earlier, the INEC Electoral Officer, Mr Abdu said the visit was to inform the district head that an additional registration machine was provided by the state headquarters.

According to him, the additional machine was to decongest some of the units and ensure all eligible persons were registered in the area.

He further informed the district head that the exercise targeted persons that reached the age of 18, those that changed their voting unit or relocated and those that lost their PVCs.

He therefore solicited the support and cooperation of the district head in achieving the mandate in Ketare district.

The villages targeted in the exercise are Ketare, Hurya, Tsamiyar Jino, Kuka Sheka, Gundawa, Tudu, Gurbi, Katoge and Pawwa.

He commended the traditional ruler for supporting INEC on the continuous voter registration and collection of PVC by all those that registered in the area.

Recently in an interview, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Katsina, expressed concern over the low turnout of residents for the registration across the newly created 1,750 polling units in the state.

He appealed to stakeholders to mobilise their people to be registered and also collect their PVCs, adding that INEC was fully ready for them.

(NAN)