The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has issued a warning that some politicians have been purchasing Permanent Voter Cards, or PVCs, and financially inducing unwitting voters to harvest their Voter Identification Numbers.
Mohammed Haruna, the Acting Chairman of INEC and National Commissioner in charge of the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Plateau states, raised the alarm on Monday during the launch of an election observer group, NESSACTION, in Abuja, where he revealed that two people had recently been convicted for illegal possession of PVCs in Sokoto and Kano states.
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The project, funded by the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), aims to help INEC increase the number of PVCs collected ahead of the 2023 general elections, as well as the number of voters mobilized on election day.
The INEC National Commissioner also advised voters not to jeopardize their ownership of their PVCs, stating, “We are aware that some politicians are more or less buying the PVCs.” If you collect the PVC and subsequently sell it or give it to someone else, you are assisting in illegal possession of the PVC, which is a violation of 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 PVC’s in Kano and Sokoto. So, I urge people to connect their PVCs, keep it safely, and make sure that on election day, you go out there and cast youtr votes because, of course, without your PVC you cannot vote.”
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Ambassador Eniola Cole, Executive Director of NESSACTION, noted that the project, which would be implemented in the FCT, Nasarawa, and Plateau states, will provide logistics to incentivize communities with poor PVC collection rates. “We implore the general public to take advantage of the timeframe set by INEC for PVC collection at the Commission’s LGA offices nationwide from December 12, 2022 to January 5, 2023, and at the 8809 Registration Areas from January 6, 2023 to January 22, 2023, including Saturdays and Sundays,” she said, commending INEC for gains made in the electoral process through technology and other reforms.
“The public can, through dedicated channels, inform us of their location in order to receive support including the PVC collection buses and community outreach activities to be conducted at the local level in each state by our community mobilisation officers.”
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