2027: Ondo has 1m uncollected PVCs, Uzodimma tells APC rally

The All Progressives Congress has raised concerns over the number of registered voters yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards in Ondo State, with Governor Hope Uzodimma disclosing that about one million PVCs remain uncollected ahead of the 2027 general election.

Uzodimma, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, gave the figure on Wednesday at the APC presidential campaign rally in Akure, where party leaders urged residents to collect their cards and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

He said Ondo had about 2.4 million registered voters, but only 1.4 million had collected their PVCs, warning that the party needed to turn its political support into actual votes.

The mobilisation appeal came as Vice-President Kashim Shettima used the rally to highlight the economic gains the state had recorded under Tinubu’s administration, including a more than 22 per cent increase in its Federation Account allocations.

Representing Tinubu at the event held at Akure Township Stadium, Shettima said Ondo received over 22 per cent more revenue from the Federation Account in the first nine months of 2026 than it did during the corresponding period in 2025.

He attributed the increase to the President’s economic reforms, arguing that improved allocations had given state governments more resources to invest in development.

“Our promise to prioritise the welfare of Ondo State has been demonstrated through the increased revenue accruing to Ondo State,” he said.

Shettima also listed federal interventions in the state, including the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of more than 386 kilometres of rural roads, which he said would improve access to markets for farmers and rural communities.

He cited progress on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the revalidation of the Port Ondo licence and the completion of 48 kilometres of concrete pavement on the Sagamu-Ore Road.

Other projects highlighted by the Vice-President included the commissioning of the Ode-Erinje transmission line and substation, the arrival of pipes for the Owena water supply project and the operationalisation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure Teaching Hospital.

He also listed five TETFund projects at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, and interventions in 203 public health facilities under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.

On security, Shettima acknowledged the challenges Ondo had experienced but said the Federal Government was committed to strengthening security institutions.

“We inherited a compromised security system, no doubt, and Ondo State paid a regrettable price,” he said.

The Vice-President urged voters to support Tinubu for another term, insisting that the administration’s economic policies had placed the country on a more stable footing.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in his remarks, promised that Ondo would deliver massive votes for Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

He said residents had supported the President in 2023 because of his record as former Lagos State governor and maintained that he had not disappointed them.

“We voted for you because we believe in you, because we know what you can do,” Aiyedatiwa said.

The governor also praised Tinubu for appointing three ministers from Ondo State and pledged to mobilise voters across communities ahead of the election.

APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, described Tinubu as the most experienced and prepared among the 18 presidential candidates expected to contest the election.

He urged party members to remain united and intensify their mobilisation efforts.

The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, also called for stronger grassroots mobilisation, saying the party was targeting a decisive victory rather than a narrow margin.