By: Mercy Peter
The Independent National Electoral Commission Monday debunked the allegations that some of its officials are involved in the sale of Permanent Voter Cards in Edo State.
Over 2 million voters are expected to vote in the firthcoming 21st September 2024 Governorship Election in the state.
A civic group, Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy, in a petition dated 23 August 2024, had alleged that uncollected PVCs were being sold to politicians in the state.
But, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, denied the allegations, saying it is baseless.
Oyekanmi said: “The allegation by Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy (TESA) accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of selling uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to politicians in Edo State is untrue.
“The Commission does not sell but issues PVCs free of charge to only registered voters.”
Oyekanmi said the process is still ongoing, making any claims of uncollected PVCs being sold premature and unfounded.
The CPS who emphasised that the process is transparent and strictly regulated, challenged TESA to provide evidence to support their assertions.
“However, we encourage TESA and other individuals with concrete evidence of unethical acts against any of our Electoral Officers to promptly avail the Commission of the evidence for immediate action,” Oyekanmi said.
Oyekanmi also stressed that the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has help to curb anyone to use another person’s PVC to vote.
“It is a well-known fact, and we want to assure TESA that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), it has become practically impossible for any voter to use another person’s PVC to vote.
“To that extent, any uncollected PVC cannot be used by anyone to vote during the Edo State Governorship Election. Politicians know this.
“Any person who attempts to do so will be arrested and handed over to law enforcement agents on Election Day. It is also an electoral offence for an individual to have another voter’s PVC,” he added.
The PVC collection process in the state began on Thursday and is scheduled to continue until 8 September 2024.
