The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied the raging rumors that its officials were selling Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) in the lead-up to the September 21 Governorship Election in Edo State.
Against the backdrop of such accusation being false, the nation’s electoral management body charged a civic organisation, Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy, otherwise known as TESA to produce any shred of evidence against them to substantiate its PVC sale accusation against some Electoral Officers in Edo.
In a press reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, explained that the Commission does not sell PVCs but gives them out freely to registered voters.
Against this backdrop, he said the claim is part of a history of similar narratives hurled against the commission by partisan groupings whenever off-cycle governorship or large elections were scheduled.
He explained further that with the introduction of BVAS, it is now almost impossible for any voter to vote with another person’s PVC.
Oyekanmi warned that any PVC not collected by the owner would not be allowed to vote in the Edo State Governorship Election, and that anyone who attempts to do otherwise would be detained and handed over to law enforcement agents on Election Day.
Again, the collection of PVC began in all the 192 Wards across the state on Thursday, August 22nd, and will end today, Monday, August 26th. Collection will continue at our 18 Local Government Offices between August 28 and September 8, 2024.
“Therefore, it can’t be right on the part of INEC to be talking of ‘uncollected PVCs,’ when, in the actual sense of it, the collection has just started.
“However, we urge TESA and others with concrete evidence to show unethical acts against any of our Electoral Officers to quickly make such available to the Commission for immediate action,” he said.
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