INEC vows to prosecute voters card buyers and sellers | Jevibe

INEC vows to prosecute voters card buyers and sellers

According to the commission, the implementation of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) will prevent election manipulation and other irregularities.
Anyone found purchasing or selling PVCs would be detained and prosecuted, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) warned.

In the upcoming general election, the electoral commission declared that it would not support any politician or political party engaging in such behavior.

The Nigeria Police Force has also stated that it is prepared to cooperate with the commission to take action against anyone who trades voter identification cards.

“PCVs have never been put for sale at any market table, ever… Since INEC has greater knowledge about the incident, we will cooperate with INEC to find these offenders, according to the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

Also Read: INEC announces date for PVC collection 

Following concerns that certain politicians were purchasing PVCs and coercing voters into harvesting their voter ID numbers, this has happened.

Recall that Mohammed Haruna, the INEC commissioner in charge of Abuja, Kaduna, Plateau, and Nasarawa states, recently warned that politicians were purchasing PVCs in preparation for the 2023 election.

The INEC Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, has cautioned that the 2023 election won’t be as normal.

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In his interview with the punch, Oyekanmi said the introduction of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) will not allow for rigging and other electoral malpractices.

He advised supporters of the competing presidential candidates to spend their time convincing and mobilizing to vote for their respective candidates rather than the reputation of the commission.

He said, “Supporters of the competing presidential candidates for the 2023 general elections will help their respective candidates better if they spend the next two months before the polls to rigorously convince and mobilize registered voters across the length and breadth of Nigeria to vote for their preferred candidates than to continue smearing the reputation of the Independent National Electoral Commission with baseless conspiracy theories. It will not work.

INEC vows to prosecute voters card buyers and sellers | Jevibe

INEC vows to prosecute voters card buyers and sellers:

“The commission is not a political party; INEC does not have a preferred candidate.

We have been preparing for the 2023 polls since the conclusion of the 2019 general elections, perfecting existing tools and introducing other innovations. These innovations are designed to ensure the integrity of the process and make it impossible for any politician or INEC Staff to compromise an election in favor of any candidate.

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“Therefore, the insinuation that some politicians are buying Permanent Voter Cards to rig the 2023 general election is baseless because INEC has moved very far away from the period when the Incident Form could be used for that purpose on election day.’’

He explained that the INEC introduced the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for the 2023 general election to eliminate the use of the incident form and prevent impersonation on election days.