By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Christians in Bauchi State have been urged to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in order to vote in the 2023 general elections because their votes will count.
This was the general call of Pastors to their members across PFN Churches in Bauchi State as part of the “PVC Sunday” declared by the National body of the association.
Our correspondent, who went round some PFN Churches within the state, observed that most of them took time to sensitize their members on the importance of registering and obtaining their PVCs.
In some of the Churches visited by our Correspondent, the leadership of the Churches were seen at the entrance checking members that have got theirs and allowing them to enter into the sanctuaries for the day’s worship service, when others who did not have were allowed into the Church but encouraged to go and get theirs.
Churches visited by our Correspondent include: Ever Increasing Faith Elim Church, Yelwa; Living Faith Church, Yelwa; Assemblies of God Church, Yelwa; Agape Christian Worship Center, Angwan Ngas; House on the Rock, Birshin Gandu, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Wuntin Dada; Rivers of Life Church, Hospital Road, among others.
At Living Faith Church, a member told our correspondent that “we didn’t asked people to show their PVC, but sensitization was made by the Pastor who encouraged people to go and register. He encouraged them that since tomorrow (Monday) is a public holiday, they should take advantage and be registered or make corrections or transfer their PVCs.”
“Our pastor created awareness last week and told us to go and get our PVCs. He told us that today there will be an operation show your PVC. I wasn’t inside the Church, I was at my duty post as security, it was when I went home that my wife told me.
“In fact, she had to go and register in order to get the PVC. When I took her to the INEC registration center, I saw a lot of our Church members, who also went to register and this was all because of what the Pastor said,” a member told our Correspondent at the Assemblies of God Church, Yelwa.
It said that with the improved technology put in place by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) especially the transmission of results from the polling units, their votes will matter.
Speaking to journalists in an interview, the Chairman of the PFN in Bauchi State, Rev. Promise Yohanna, said the state had to heed to the directive from the National Secretariat to use Sunday, June 26th, 2022, as “Operation Show Your PVC Sunday,” to encourage Christians to exercise their civic rights.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.nationalaccordnewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IMG-20220626-WA0017.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1)
He said that day was set aside to sensitize Christians on the need for them too exercise their civic rights as citizens to get their PVCs, so that they can vote in the forthcoming general elections.
Yohanna, who is also the Senior Pastor of Rivers of Life Church, said the idea was not to prevent Christians from going into the Churches to worship, “but what we are doing is that members will first show their cards before entering into the Church and for those who do not have, we sensitize and encourage them to do so.”
“Today is PVC Sunday all over PFN Churches in Bauchi. Our desire is to mobilize our people to exercise their civic rights as citizens of this country because we discovered that many of them feel that they don’t need to vote because their votes will not count. So, we are sensitizing the people to go out and get their PVCs so that they can vote and usher in a better government in this country.
“Our advice to the Church is that we are citizens of this country, our ability to vote or not to vote will affect us positively or negatively. If we have the PVC, it will help us determine the governance of our country.
“I call on Nigerians, especially Christians to take this responsibility as a civic right so that they can get their PVCs and cast their votes. I call on them to come out because their votes will count with the new technology put out by INEC, since results will be transmitted live from the polling units, we believe our votes will count,” the PFN Chairman said.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.