The Permanent Voter Cards, or PVCs, are said to have been purchased by some politicians, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC.
Additionally, according to INEC, these politicians are paying unwitting citizens to obtain their voter ID numbers in preparation for the general elections in 2023.
The National Commissioner for the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Plateau states, Mohammed Haruna, raised the alarm during the launch of the #YourVoteMatters project by an election observer group, NESSACTION, in Abuja. He revealed that two people had recently been found guilty of illegally possessing PVCs in the states of Sokoto and Kano.
The project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), aims to help INEC increase the number of PVCs collected in advance of the 2023 general elections as well as the number of voters mobilized on Election Day.
Speaking, the INEC National Commissioner, said: “We are aware some politicians are more or less buying the PVCs. If you collect the PVC and then you sell it out or allow someone else to have it, you are aiding illegal possession of the PVC which is an offence in our Electoral Act.
“Some of you are aware that only recently, INEC managed to convict two people, who were found guilty of illegal possession of PVCs in Kano and Sokoto. So, I urge people to connect their PVCs, keep it safe, and make sure that on Election Day, you go out there and cast your votes because, of course, without your PVC you cannot vote.”
