INEC Says Politicians Are Buying PVCs From Registered Voters

INEC Says Politicians Are Buying PVCs From Registered Voters

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that politicians are purchasing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from registered voters in order to harvest their Voter Identification Numbers (VIN) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

On Monday, December 12, INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna stated this at an event organized by NESSACTION, an election observer group in Abuja.

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While cautioning both politicians and unwary Nigerians about the development, Haruna reiterated that no one will vote on election days unless they have a PVC.

Two people were recently convicted in Sokoto and Kano states for illegal possession of PVCs, according to the report.

“We are aware some politicians are more or less buying the PVCs,” he said.

“If you collect the PVC and then you sell it out or allow someone else to have it, you are aiding illegal possession of the PVC which is an offence in our Electoral Act.

“Some of you are aware that only recently, INEC managed to convict two people, who were found guilty of illegal possession of PVCs in Kano and Sokoto.”

He urged people to collect and keep their PVCs safe, and to vote for the candidate of their choice on election day.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) have accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of the alleged act.

The PDP and LP both condemned the APC in separate interviews with journalists, accusing it of weaponizing poverty in order to retain power in 2023.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, urged INEC to investigate the allegations and prosecute those responsible.

“The alarm raised by INEC should not be taken lightly because in the last couple of weeks, Nigerians have seen an upsurge in the desperate tactics by the ruling All Progressives Congress, to grab and retain power by all means including the purchase of PVCs from gullible people,” Ologunagba said according to Vanguard Newspaper.

“The party has weaponized poverty which it intends to use to cow Nigerians into doing its bidding.

“While we await a thorough investigation to unravel the extent to which APCs desperation has led it into seeking to criminally manipulate our electoral process to subvert the will of Nigerians, we implore our security agencies and President Buhari, to remain faithful to their promise to bequeath a credible, free and fair election come 2023.”

Similarly, Yunusa Tanko, spokesperson for the LP Presidential Campaign Council, condemns “electoral crime” in all of its manifestations.

He claimed that the politicians INEC was referring to were not members of the LP’s rank and file, and that his party “has been taking our plea for votes directly to Nigerians.”

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“Our candidate has been campaigning and appearing in debates and town hall meetings because he knows the power to put him and his running mate and of course, our party in office is in the hands of the people.

Tanko warned Nigerians to be wary of politicians who have previously attempted to use stolen funds to purchase PVCs and votes in 2023.