The collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs) may move to polling units, a top-shot of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave the hint on Thursday.

The move will allow eligible voters who had not received their voter cards to obtain same at their polling units.

Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Akin Orebiyii, made this known after a meeting with the State Council of Obas and Chiefs in Ikeja.

According to an online report, Orebiyi said over 1.7 million PVCs of eligible voters, who registered in 2011, were yet to be claimed by their owners since the distribution began.

“We have received four million cards and about 2.3 million people have come out to collect their cards, while 1.7 million cards have not been collected.

“We are still expecting 600,000 cards from 2011 registration and for 2014; we have outstanding of about 1.4 million, totalling about 5.9 million registered voters.

“Shortly, these outstanding cards will arrive and we will add them to the ones we are distributing.

“We are also thinking of moving, if possible, away from the 245 collation centres to the 8,465 polling units so as to reach more people.

“We believe people will come out as we move from local government to the wards and from the wards to the polling units,” the REC said.

Orebiyi said the response of eligible voters toward collection of cards had not been encouraging, adding that the development necessitated further decentralisation of the exercise.

Orebiyi urged the monarchs to mobilise their subjects to collect their PVCs and conduct themselves peacefully during the polls.

“We expect our royal fathers and chiefs to mobilise and galvanise our people to collect their voter cards and to encourage our people to vote according to their conscience.

“They should tell them not to sell their votes. They should advise them to be orderly and avoid violence in their attitude before, during and after the elections,” he said.