Arrest Politicians Buying PVCs From Poor Voters – SERAP To Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari was urged on Sunday by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to detain politicians who acquire Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from underprivileged voters.

In a statement, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, wants the President to “urgently direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to identify and arrest politicians who are allegedly buying permanent voter cards (PVCs) from poor Nigerians, and promptly bring them to justice.”

The rights group also requests that Buhari make sure that any politicians, regardless of their political membership, who are thought to be complicit in what it terms serious electoral and human rights offenses are named and shamed.

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Recalling recent allegations made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that some politicians are purchasing PVCs from low-income Nigerians nationwide, the group claimed that the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) supported the claims and claimed that some politicians are reportedly purchasing PVCs with N2,000 in the north.

“Buying of PVCs from poor Nigerians is a threat to fair and representative elections, as it amounts to vote buying, undue influence and improper electoral influence,” the statement read.

“The allegations that politicians and their sponsors are buying PVCs from poor Nigerians are grave violations of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the Electoral Act, and the country’s international anti-corruption and human rights obligations.”

“The right to vote is central to the enjoyment of other basic human rights but the right will have little meaning if politicians and their sponsors continue to buy PVCs and get away with their crime against the Nigerian people.”

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