The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was challenged on Wednesday by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) to reveal the information on the purchase and storage of Permanent Voter Cards by politicians in order to rig the general elections of 2023.
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, insisted that if the electoral umpire is sincere about holding free and fair elections next year, such politicians must be recognised, shamed, and prosecuted right away.
The organisation demanded that the House of Representatives Committee swiftly adopt the National Electoral Offenses Body and Related Matters 2022 Bill for an Act, adding that the formation of such a commission would enable fast prosecution of electoral criminals, including PVC buyers.
Remember that on Monday in Abuja, Mohammed Haruna, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Plateau states, raised the red flag that certain politicians may be purchasing PVC ahead of the 2023 elections. He also said that two people had recently been found guilty of illegally possessing PVCs in the states of Sokoto and Kano.
Subsequently, INEC warned politicians and political groups that it would not tolerate any unlawful conduct and stated that anybody found purchasing or selling PVCs would be detained and punished.
However, HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “We condemn the actions of desperate politicians buying and storing up PVCs for rigging and electoral malpractices in the forthcoming 2023 general elections. It is important that this method of vote-buying be punished and INEC should disqualify all those buying PVCs, arrest them and prosecute them in the courts.
“INEC should stop talking too much and doing so little. By now INEC ought to have a list of all the politicians buying PVCs, name, shame and prosecute them using the extant Electoral Act 2022. INEC must realize that strategic planning is what is needed and not loud noise and unnecessary grandstanding and propaganda.
“INEC must tighten its processes and technology which have been infiltrated with ghost voters and underage voters. These imperfections, if not checked using provisions of the Electoral Act, will jeopardise the elections.
“Also, the National Assembly must quickly act on the bill before it to create an electoral offences commission which will hasten the prosecution of rogue politicians. But first, the NASS must remove the Clause 32 under Part IV of the bill which criminalises free speech.
“All eyes must also be on the 205,127 PVCs yet to be collected in Ekiti State as well as the thousands of uncollected PVCs in other states of the Federation because desperate politicians must be planning how to connive with compromised INEC staff to buy over these PVCs.
“INEC should investigate allegations that undesirable elements hired for 25 million USD cash, by unidentified power broker in All Progressives Congress and that this unpatriotic element is funding a faction of IPOB, the gang denounced by the mainstream IPOB ledby Mazi Nnamdi Kanu which is allegedly responsible for attacking INEC facilities to reduce the chances of the Presidential candidate of Labour Party Mr. PETER OBI. All Progressives Congress.
“Lastly, Nigerians must go out to INEC offices to get their PVCs and exercise their franchise come next year. INEC must reduce the organised confusion and chaos usually orchestrated by some of their corruption staff to undermine the ability of Nigerians to collect their PVCs.”
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.