Osun State Declares Work-Free Day for PVC Collection

The Osun State Government has announced that Tuesday, July 28, will be a work-free day for public workers. This is to help them collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) as the state gets ready for the governorship election on August 15.

This announcement follows the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) finishing the first phase of PVC distribution in the state's 332 Registration Areas. The PVC distribution will continue at the 30 Local Government offices from July 29 to August 7.

INEC had earlier revealed that only 192,702 PVCs, which is 37.5 percent of the total distributed, had been collected by eligible voters in Osun State.

In a circular from the Head of Service, Ayanleye Aina, the state government stated that the work-free day applies to all public workers, including those in local governments and state-owned tertiary institutions.

Governor Ademola Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said the decision aims to help workers collect their voter cards before the governorship election and future elections in the state. He added that essential workers, like medical staff and security officers, should make plans to ensure critical services continue without any interruption.

The governor urged all eligible voters who have not yet collected their PVCs to do so quickly.

“Your vote is your power. Your voter’s card is your licence to the ballot paper and, by extension, to the ballot box,” the governor said.

This directive comes as political activities, including campaigns and rallies, increase ahead of the governorship election, where he is also looking to be re-elected.

The election is expected to have key candidates, including Bola Oyebamiji from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Najeem Salaam from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), along with candidates from other political parties.