The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, Mr. Labaran Maku has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to suspend the idea of deploying Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs and Card Readers for the 2015 general elections.

Maku advised the commission to reserve the PVC and card readers for test-run in any by-elections and in the 2019 general elections.

Maku, who stated this when he addressed newsmen at a rally in Karu at the weekend, hailed the INEC for the innovation but insisted that it needed to be test-run properly in a by-election to ascertain its effectiveness before deploying the technology in a nation-wide election.

The former Information Minister, said INEC should prepare its mind for the use of the innovation in 2019 if it is proven effective in the by-elections to be conducted as a fall out of the March and April elections.

“By 2019, I believe that every eligible voter would have collected his or her PVC and card reader machines tested and proven to be effective in the by-elections,” he said.

He further urged the electoral body to allow all registered voters including those with the temporary cards to vote, adding that disallowing Nigerians from voting because of PVC will mean disenfranchising a number far bigger than the size of those that voted in the presidential election of 2011.

“The number of voters yet to be given their PVCs in the 36 states and Abuja is more than the total votes cast for all parties that participated in the 2011 presidential election.

“You can imagine the number of Nigerian voters about to be disfranchised if INEC continues with its plan to use the PVCs and card readers in this year’s election,” he added.

He said: “My call on INEC to drop the plan was due to the already heated arguments, complaints and controversy generated by the process across the country.

“The number of PVC yet to be distributed to voters across the country is in millions, hence the call to allow voters with Temporary Voters Card (TVC) to vote in the coming election.”

He contended that those who are yet to be given PVCs should not be made to suffer for the challenges in the distribution process of the PVCs.

pvc should not be used now else most people especially christians in jos nd middle belt will be disenfranchised. #team jonathan.

STFU....dis parrot will neva keep shot 4 once.

The country's technology should be improving each year. Pvc and card readers should be used then by 2019, electronic voting should be implemented.

the fear of pvc is the begining of wisdom for unpopular politicians that want to rig.