Politicians in the country have been accused by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of buying Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and financially inducing voters to harvest their Voter Identification Numbers (VIN).
The claim was made by acting chairman of INEC and National Commissioner, overseeing the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau states, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, during the launch of the #YourVoteMatters project by NESSACTION, an election observer group, on Monday, December 12.
Haruna said;
“We are aware some politicians are more or less buying the PVCs. If you collect the PVC and then you sell it out or allow someone else to have it, you are aiding illegal possession of the PVC which is an offense in our Electoral Act.
“Some of you are aware that only recently, INEC managed to convict two people who were found guilty of illegal possession of PVCs in Kano and Sokoto. So, I urge people to collect their PVCs, keep them safely, and make sure that on election day, you go out and cast your votes because, of course, without your PVC you cannot vote.”