The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied allegations that its officials are involved in the sale of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Edo State ahead of the September 21 governorship election.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, described the allegations as baseless and challenged the group, Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy (TESA), to provide concrete evidence to support their assertions.
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“The allegation by TESA accusing INEC of selling uncollected PVCs to politicians in Edo State is untrue. The commission does not sell but issues PVCs free of charge to only registered voters,” Oyekanmi stated.
Oyekanmi emphasized that the process is transparent and strictly regulated, and that the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has made it nearly impossible for anyone to use another person’s PVC to vote. He warned that any attempt to do so would result in arrest and prosecution on election day.
“The PVC collection process in Edo State began on August 22 and is scheduled to continue until September 8, 2024. Any claims of uncollected PVCs being sold are premature and unfounded,” Oyekanmi added.
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INEC has urged TESA and other concerned individuals to present any concrete evidence of misconduct by its officials to the commission for immediate action.
“We encourage TESA and other individuals with concrete evidence of unethical acts against any of our Electoral Officers to promptly avail the Commission of the evidence for immediate action,” Oyekanmi said.
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