The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated that its staff in Lagos State is not colluding with any Political party to manipulate the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) distribution.
This was disclosed by Mr Olusegun Agbaje, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos state in a response to the Peoples Democratic Party’s claims of collusion.
INEC said the claims are a gross misrepresentation and diversionary both in content and context.
Frivolous accusation: INEC noted that the claims by PDP are frivolous, citing that it is also diversionary as Nigerians prepare to go to the voting booth.
- “It is pertinent to clarify and correct the frivolous accusation by PDP that some INEC staff are colluding with members of the ruling party in the state to deny some groups of people access to collect their PVCs.
- “Mention was equally made of Mr Muyiwa Yusuf, the Head of Department VR/ICT INEC in the state who was alleged to have connived with the APC to clone the faces of voters through the privileged access he has to the PVCs.
- “It has become necessary to comment on the recent report which far from being true, was a gross misrepresentation and diversionary both in content and context.
No affiliations: They added that they have no political affiliations with any party, citing that the claims were fabricated by the PDP to distort the reputation of INEC.
- “It is obvious that this orchestrated story by PDP was fabricated to distort the reputation of INEC in the state and to soil the name of the officer in question,”
- “INEC has neither political affiliation nor inclination with any party in the state. Collection of PVC is based on a first-come, first-served”.
Present situation: The Commissioner added that currently, INEC is scanning PVCs to harvest phone numbers of eligible registrants yet to collect their cards with a view to contacting them via bulk sms.
- “The commission strongly believes in equity, transparency, integrity and fairness in the conduct of her business.
- “We shall continue to uphold these fundamental principles in the discharge of our constitutional duties and responsibilities as an unbiased umpire to all stakeholders.”
In case you missed it
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the extension of the deadline for the collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) by about a week, following complaints and frustrations expressed by eligible voters over the delay and the very slow process involved in the PVC collection exercise.
The election umpire who had earlier fixed January 22, 2023, as the collection deadline for these PVCs, extended the deadline to Sunday, January 29, 2023.
