Police arrest two for being in possession of 468 PVCs – INEC says

• The Nigerian police have arrested two criminals for posses over 400 PVCs
• INEC lamented that the offense violates Sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act of 2022.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reported that two criminals who were in possession of 468 Permanent Voters’ Cards had been apprehended by the Nigerian police.

Festus Okoye, Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee and National Commissioner of INEC, made this disclosure in a statement on Sunday.

Although Okoye named the first perpetrator as Nasiru Idris and said that he was discovered in possession of 101 PVCs in Sokoto States, the identity of the second criminal was kept a secret.

The individual was discovered in possession of 367 PVCs, according to the INEC National Commissioner, and is currently facing legal charges. He asserts that the offense violates Sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act of 2022.

“In the last couple of weeks, the Nigeria Police has arrested some individuals found to be in illegal possession of voters’ cards in some States of the Federation,” the statement read.

“In one case, the Police have concluded the 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 have 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.

“The Commission wishes to reiterate that it will continue to pursue all violators of the Electoral Act and ensure their diligent prosecution.”

Regarding the PVC collection, Okoye said INEC is committed to making the procedure go as smoothly as possible.

He added, “A Standard Operating Procedure has been developed. This will be among the issues to be discussed and finalized at a retreat held in Lagos from November 28 to December 2, 2022, involving all the Resident Electoral Commissioners.

READ ALSO: Fire razes INEC office in Ebonyi

“At the end of the retreat, the Commission will release the dates as well as the detailed procedure for the immediate collection of PVCs nationwide.

“The Commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians, especially those who registered as voters or applied for transfer/replacement of their cards from January to July 2022. In making the cards available for collection, the Commission is also working to ensure that the process is hitch-free.”

Meanwhile, we earlier reported that when some thugs set fire to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, many Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and other materials were destroyed.

“The incident occurred around 10.00 am when some unidentified persons set the entire building ablaze,” INEC’s National Commissioner & Chairman
Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said in a Sunday statement.

“Although no casualties resulted from the attack, the main building and all the movable and immovable items inside it were destroyed. These include 340 ballot boxes, 130 voting cubicles, 14 electric power generators, large water storage tanks, assorted office furniture and fixtures, and yet-to-be-determined quantities of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs).”

He said security agencies have been informed about the most recent incident and that an investigation has started.

“Sadly, this is the third attack on our local government office in less than three weeks following similar attacks on our offices in Ogun and Osun states on 10th November 2022,” Okoye said.

Election offices have been attacked recently in the country’s southeast, where separatists are seeking a breakaway state for the local Igbo people, but attacks in the southwest are rarer.