The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations that its officials are involved in selling Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the September 21 gubernatorial election in Edo State.
INEC described the claims as baseless and challenged the civic group, Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy (TESA), to provide substantial evidence supporting their accusation of PVC sales in Edo.
Responding to the allegations, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, emphasized that the commission only issues PVCs free of charge to registered voters, without any form of sale.
Oyekanmi pointed out that such accusations often arise from partisan groups whenever an off-cycle governorship or major election is approaching.
He noted that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), it is nearly impossible for any voter to use someone else’s PVC to cast a vote.
Oyekanmi further clarified that uncollected PVCs cannot be used by anyone during the Edo State Governorship Election, warning that anyone who attempts to do so will be arrested and handed over to law enforcement on Election Day.
He explained that PVC collection only began in the state’s 192 wards on Thursday, August 22, and concluded on Monday, August 26. Following this, PVC collection will move to INEC’s 18 Local Government Offices from August 28 to September 8, 2024.
“Therefore, the notion of ‘uncollected PVCs’ cannot suffice when, in fact, the collection process has just started,” Oyekanmi stated.
He also encouraged TESA and others with concrete evidence of misconduct by any Electoral Officers to present such evidence to the commission for immediate action.