Mahmood Yakubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, has highlighted the effect of attacking its offices ahead of the 2023 general election.
Yakubu warned that the series of attacks on INEC’s facilities may compromise the 2023 general elections if not checked.
He issued the warning while addressing the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee Investigating the Attacks on Offices and Facilities of INEC in Abuja on Friday, December 16, 2022.
The INEC Chairman stressed that while the Commission was determined to continue with preparations for the elections, the persistent attacks on its facilities constitute a serious threat.
Yakubu, however, vowed that INEC would continue its preparation for the 2023 general elections despite attacks on its facilities.
According to Yakubu: “However, should such attacks continue at the pace at which they are happening at the moment, the Commission may find it increasingly difficult to recover in good time for the election.
“If it is about stopping the attacks, yes we can recover, but if the attacks continue, it would be very difficult for the Commission to recover.
“The attacks have far-reaching implications on preparation for the general elections. First, the facilities that are destroyed, especially offices, would take time to rebuild.”
Lately, hoodlums have attacked INEC offices in States like Imo, Enugu, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, and Bayelsa States.
INEC Says Politicians Are Buying PVCs From Voters Ahead Of 2023 Polls
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has raised the alarm that some politicians have been buying up Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, and financially inducing unsuspecting voters to harvest their Voter Identification Numbers.
Mohammed Haruna, the acting chairman of INEC and National Commissioner overseeing the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Plateau states, raised the alarm on Monday, December 12, 2022, during the launch of #YourVoteMatters project by an election observer group, NESSACTION, in Abuja, where he disclosed that two people have been recently convicted for illegal possession of PVCs in Sokoto and Kano states.
The project, supported by the International Foundation for Electoral System, IFES; the United States Agency for International Development, USAID; and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, FCDO, seeks to assist INEC in increasing the number of PVCs collected ahead of the 2023 general elections as well as the voters mobilised on election day.
Speaking, the INEC National Commissioner also warned the electorates to desist from compromising the ownership of their PVCs; saying, “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 offence 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 PVC’s in Kano and Sokoto. So, I urge people to connect their PVCs, keep it safely, and make sure that on election day, you go out there and cast your votes because, of course, without your PVC you cannot vote.”
On her part, the Executive Director of NESSACTION, Ambassador Eniola Cole, explained that the project slated for implementation in the FCT, Nasarawa, and Plateau states, will provide logistics to incentivise communities with low PVC collection rates. While commending INEC for gains made in the electoral process through technology and other reforms, she said, “We implore the general public to take advantage of the timeframe set by INEC for PVC collection at the Commission’s LGA offices nationwide from December 12, 2022, to January 5, 2023, and at the 8809 Registration Areas from January 6, 2023, to January 22, 2023, including Saturdays and Sundays.
“The public can, through dedicated channels, inform us of their location in order to receive support including the PVC collection buses and community outreach activities to be conducted at the local level in each state by our community mobilisation officers.”
