INEC Denies Claims Of PVCs Being Sold In Edo

INEC Denies Claims Of PVCs Being Sold In Edo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has vehemently denied allegations that its officials are involved in the sale of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the September 21 Governorship Election in Edo State………CONTINUE READING

These claims were made by the civic group Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy (TESA), but INEC has challenged the group to provide solid evidence to back up their accusations.

Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, firmly stated that INEC does not sell PVCs but distributes them free of charge to registered voters. He labeled the allegations as false, attributing them to partisan groups that often emerge as elections approach.

Oyekanmi highlighted that the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ensures that voting using someone else’s PVC is nearly impossible. He assured that any PVCs not collected by voters cannot be used in the upcoming election and warned that attempts to misuse them would result in arrest and prosecution by law enforcement on Election Day.

The PVC collection process in Edo State commenced on August 22 in 192 Wards and is scheduled to end on August 26. Oyekanmi noted that since the collection process has only recently begun, the idea of ‘uncollected PVCs’ is baseless. Collection will continue at INEC’s 18 Local Government Offices from August 28 to September 8, 2024.

INEC has urged TESA and anyone with evidence of misconduct by Electoral Officers to submit their findings for prompt investigation and action.