INEC Debunks Rumour That Electorate Can Vote Without PVCs

…Laments Destruction Of 1,992 Ballot Boxes, 399 Voting Cubicles, Others

The Evangelist
November 30, 2022

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked rumours that the electorate who don’t have Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) can vote during the 2023 general elections.

Speaking at the induction retreat for Resident Electoral Commissioners in Lagos on Wednesday, Yakubu who also lamented about the constant destruction of INEC facilities by arsonists, noted that the responsibility of the commission is to conduct a credible election in 2023.

He said I want to debunk the misleading statement that the electorate can vote on election day without voters cards. This has been trending online since last week, this is absolutely incorrect.

“For anybody to vote during the election, he or she must be a registered voter, in line with the commission’s position that no PVC, no voting. It is a legal requirement. It will be a violation of the electoral act 2023 if it is set aside. I ask Nigerians to disregard any suggestion that a person can vote without PVC.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I want to write section 47 (1) of the electoral act 2022, which says, “A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with a PVC to the presiding officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered”. The position of these is very clear.

Speaking on the destruction of INEC facilities across the country, the chairman said, “Let me comment on the troubling issue of attack on our offices and the destruction of facilities and assets across the country. In the last four months, five offices of the commission were attacked by yet unknown persons. Buildings were destroyed, and critical facilities were lost.

These faculties include 1,992 ballot boxes, 399 voting cubicles, 22 electric power generators as well as thousands of uncollected PVCs among many other items.

“These attacks must stop and perpetrators should be apprehended and prosecuted. Our responsibility is to conduct the 2023 general election. I want to endure Nigerians that the items destroyed are being replaced but there is a limit to our ability to keep replacing lost or destroyed items with just 86 days to the general elections.

“We will continue to appeal to the security agencies, community leaders and all well-meaning Nigerians to stop the attacks but the ultimate solution is the arrest and prosecution of the culprits so that arsonists don’t feel that bad behaviour is acceptable in our country.

Speaking about the attack on the Ebonyi State INEC office a few days ago, the chairman said, “The most painful thing about the attack on our Ebonyi State office. The resources available to the commission is limited. We have within our limited resources been responding to requests from states for the reconstruction and renovation of our local government offices. We renovated our local government office in Ebonyi State, relocated our staff to the office on Friday and on Sunday the entire office was destroyed,” he said.

Speaking further Yakubu said, I want to reiterate what I said I told the new reps at the swearing-in recently that our success ultimately depends on integrity. We should remain independent and impartial. The commission has no candidate in the 2023 election.

“The commission is not a political party. The commission has no candidate in the forthcoming election. All political parties have equal standing before the commission. Our job is to uphold the integrity of the ballot,” he said.