The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that its officials are selling Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the September 21 Governorship Election in Edo State.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated that the allegation is false and challenged Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy (TESA) to provide evidence to support its claims. He emphasized that PVCs are issued free of charge to registered voters and that the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) makes it nearly impossible for voters to use another person’s PVC.
Oyekanmi also noted that PVC collection has only recently started and will continue through early September, making the notion of widespread uncollected PVCs implausible. He urged anyone with evidence of misconduct to report it to INEC for prompt action.