Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has appealed to Nigerians to ignore information circulating online that voters can voters in election day without their Permanent Voter Card (PVC).
The chairman while appealing to members of the public reiterated that the commission has always maintained the policy of “no PVC, no voting” adding that nothing has changed.
The chairman noted that the possession of the PVC is a legal requirement enshrined in the law hence it remains a mandatory requirement for voting during elections.
He made this known in his address during a retreat held in Lagos on Wednesday for the 19 new Resident Electoral Commissioners sworn in on November 3, 2022 to introduce them to the electoral legal framework as well as the processes and procedures for election administration.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that a person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the Polling Unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.
“Therefore, the position of the law is clear. The PVC remains a mandatory requirement for voting during elections,” said the chairman.
The chairman while reacting to the various attacks on the commission’s offices in some parts of the country particularly in the southeast and southwest by hoodlums said the commission remains resolute in carrying out its responsibility as an electoral impire reassuring that the commission will recover from the these attacks.
He called on security agencies, traditional and community leaders and well-meaning Nigerians to support the commission to stop the attacks stressing the need for the arrests of the perpetrators.
“I want to reassure Nigerians that we will recover from these attacks. The lost materials will be replaced but there is a limit to our ability to keep replacing wantonly destroyed materials with just 86 days to the General Election.
“The security agencies, traditional and community leaders and all well-meaning Nigerians should continue to support the Commission to stop the attacks but the ultimate solution is arrest and prosecution so that vandals and arsonists do not feel that bad behaviour is an acceptable conduct in our country,” he said.
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