The Independent National Electoral Commission has rejected claims that its officials are selling Permanent Voter Cards in Edo State in the lead-up to the September 21 Governorship Election.
In a petition dated August 23, 2024, a civic organization called Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy claimed that unclaimed PVCs were being sold to state politicians.
The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, responded to this claim on Monday by labeling the allegations as unfounded and putting pressure on TESA to present hard data to back up their claims.
“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 stated, emphasising that the process is transparent and strictly regulated.
Oyekanmi also emphasized how nearly impossible it is now for someone to vote using someone else’s PVC due to the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
On election day, he threatened to arrest and prosecute anyone who tried to do so.
“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.
Oyekanmi pointed out that the process is still ongoing, making any claims of uncollected PVCs being sold premature and unfounded.
INEC has urged TESA and other concerned individuals to present any concrete evidence of misconduct by its officials to the Commission for immediate action.
The CPS noted, “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.”
