Three days into the collection of the Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) the nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned politicians buying off the cards from owners to have a rethink because it would be the most unprofitable venture of the decade.

Reason: the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) introduced to improve and strengthen the voters verification, authentication and accreditation process would only identify the owner of the PVC through facial appearance and/or fingerprints of the real owners of the cards.

The PVC can only be used by the owner of the card, the electoral umpire has warned. The on- going collection of the PVCs which started on Monday 12th day of December 2022 and will end on the 22nd day of January 2023.

INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, Esq. had at a workshop organised for the media, Civil Society Organisations, and INEC organised by the International Press Center (IPC),in Abuja reiterated the Commission’s stand policy of “No PVC, No Voting” will continue to subsist and registered voters should endeavour to collect their PVCs to vote in the 2023 general election and other elections.

The Electoral Act, Okoye said mandated prospective voters during the election to appear with their PVC before he or she can vote adding that the use of the BVAS for voter accreditation and authentication is irreversible and backed by law.

Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, also speaking on PVC and the 2023 general elections said the Commission has been preparing for the 2023 polls, since the conclusion of the 2019 general elections, perfecting existing tools and introducing other innovations as dictated by the Electoral Act 2022.
“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 favour of any candidate.

“Therefore, the insinuation that some politicians are buying PVCs 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 stressed.

On 26th November,Mr. Okoye in a press statement issued in Abuja said;”In one case, the Police has concluded investigation and handed over the case file to the Commission resulting in the successful prosecution of one Nasiru Idris at a Magistrate Court in Sokoto, who was found to be in possession of 101 PVCs in contravention of sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act 2022. He has been sentenced to a year in prison.

“Similarly, the Police in Kano State has arrested a man who was found to be in possession of 367 PVCs. The suspect has been charged to Court and the Commission is pursuing his prosecution”, he stressed.

There are sections of the law which deal the obligations of INEC as the electoral umpire charged with the registration of voters and distribution of PVCs to those registered. Any unauthorized persons who engage in such activities not being INEC staff has committed an offence under the law.

Specifically, Section 117 states that “the person commits an offence and liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N1 million- or 12-months imprisonment or to both”.