PVCS ILLEGALLY POSSESSED: INEC PROSECUTES VIOLATORS IN SOKOTO AND KANO

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), prosecution of those detained for illegally possessing Permanent Voter Cards has begun (PVCs).

Following the commission meeting, Mr. Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, made the announcement on the commission’s behalf.

Okoye claimed that the panel discussed a number of topics at the meeting, including the arrest and prosecution as well as the gathering of PVCs.

According to Okoye, the Nigeria Police recently detained several people who were found to be in possession of voter identification cards illegally in some parts of the federation.

“In one instance, the Police completed their investigation and turned over the case file to the commission, which led to the successful prosecution of one Nasiru Idris at a Sokoto magistrate court after he was discovered in possession of 101 PVCs in violation of Sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act 2002.

“He received a one-year prison term.

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The police in Kano State also detained a man after discovering 367 PVCs in his hands.

The commission is pursuing the suspect’s prosecution, and the suspect has been charged in court, Okoye added.

Okoye reaffirmed INEC’s determination to continue pursuing and ensuring the careful prosecution of all Electoral Act violators.

He stated that INEC was committed to making the collection of PVCs as seamless as feasible after the conclusion of the statutory window for the display of the register of voters for claims and objections.

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been created, according to Okoye.

At a retreat in Lagos from November 28 to December 2, all of the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, he said, would discuss and decide on problems such as that (FCT).

At the conclusion of the retreat, the commission, according to Okoye, will announce the dates and the specific steps for the nationwide PVC collection that will take place right away.

“The commission welcomes Nigerians’ tolerance and understanding, especially those who registered to vote or requested transfers or replacements of their identification cards between January and July 2022.

The commission is making the cards available for collection while simultaneously trying to make sure everything goes smoothly.