..as APC calls for manual voting
Independent National Elections Commission, INEC, accuses politicians of buying voter cards from unsuspecting poor citizens to influence 2023 elections outcomes.
Mohammed Haruna, INEC national commissioner overseeing FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau States, made the worrisome disclosures Monday in Abuja.
Haruna said that the Commission tracks this crime and has already caught, successfully prosecuted, and jailed two offenders.
He spoke at the launch of a voter card collection project by a not-for-profit organisation in Abuja, the capital.
“We are aware some politicians are … buying the PVCs,” he declared.
He however warned of dire consequences for those who collect PVC to “sell or allow someone else to have it.”
“You are aiding illegal possession of the PVC which is an offence in our Electoral Act.
“Only recently, INEC convicted two peoplebfound guilty of illegal possession of PVCs in Kano and Sokoto.
“I urge people to collect their PVCs, keep them safe, and on Election Day, go out and cast their votes.”
He reminded voters that “without your PVC, you cannot vote.”
Analysts worry about implications
The voter card buying disclosure kept analysts guessing at its implication since the announcement. Has the election management agency seen a loophole that buyers of voter card could exploit?
The agency has hitherto touted the integrity of its Bimodal Voter Accreditation system (BVAS). BVAS is a finger-print and facial recognition software that INEC deploys to register and accredit voters for elections. It verifies voter identity by matching fingerprints or facial recognition.
INEC experienced glitches when using BVAS for elections in Isoko South Constituency, Anambra Governorship, and Council Elections in the FCT.
The glitches range from slow internet connections to non-recognition of fingerprints, particularly for older voters.
Analysts wonder whether the INEC alarm indicates potential resort to manual voting in situations where the card reader fails.
APC wants manual voting
The ruling All Progressives Congress recently called for manual voting rather than use BVAS to automatically transmit vote results to a central database.
Last week, Party Chairman Abdullahi Adamu told a Commonwealth election observer team that Nigeria is not ripe for high scale technology deployment.
“First, I was privileged to serve as a senator. Our concern is how ready are we to deploy some of these technologies as regards transmission because we are taking a major step in transmitting election results in real time.
“To transmit results, every part of the nation Nigeria I’m not sure that the network covers it, I know that even in parts of Abuja there is no network and we have from now till February when in substantial parts of the country there is no electricity.
“INEC must assure us 100 percent that as at when due in transmitting results they are ready because they spoke about recharging batteries but we had in previous elections when it says it can’t recharge.”
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Cover photo: INEC Chairman Yakubu
Politicians buying voter cards, says INEC
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