Buried PVCs: INEC Opens Investigation, Says Perpetrators Would Face Wrath Of Law
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has commenced investigation into a trending online video which showed stacks of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) allegedly buried underground in some locations.
INEC in a statement by National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye Esq. said INEC was already aware that the act was committed at the compound of ‘a high-profile person’.
He said the investigation was necessary as the Commission was not taking the allegations lightly, adding that anyone found culpable in the diabolical scheme intended to disenfranchise Nigerians, would face the wrath of the law.
Okoye said: “Every eligible Nigerian who registered as a voter is entitled to his/her PVC. The constitutional right to vote in any election must never be suppressed or abridged in any way”.
He stated that as far as the record of the Commission showed, PVCs have been printed for all valid registrants in Nigeria up to 14th January 2022 and delivered to all the States of the Federation for collection by voters.
“We will not allow retrogressive elements to sabotage our efforts.
“The issues of voter registration, compilation of the voters’ roll and issuance of PVCs are at the heart of any democratic elections and the Commission is working hard to ensure that every eligible citizen who appears in person at the registration venue is registered”, Okoye said, while assuring Nigerians that the matter would be pursued to its logical conclusion.
He further disclosed that the Commission was reviewing the procedure for collecting PVCs to make it less cumbersome and more transparent.
This, he revealed, would be a major topic at the next regular quarterly meeting with stakeholders, as according to him, “working together we can find a lasting solution to the issue”.
Meanwhile, the Commission has appealed to those who found the allegedly buried PVCs to deliver them to it’s nearest State or Local Government office, adding that such act would be their patriotic contribution to the consolidation of the electoral process.
