The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tuesday, distanced itself from allegation of involvement in sales of Permanent Voter’s Card by political parties in Edo State, as the party prepares for its primary ahead the June 18 governorship election.
This is also as tension reached fever pitch within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over allegations by delegates to the state primary that their PVCs have been cloned by party’s aspirants to the poll.
Reacting to allegations of INEC’s involvement, the Edo State Resident Electoral Commission (REC), ), Mr. Sam Olumekun said only names of candidates submitted by the National executive of the participating political parties in the September governorship election will be accepted by INEC.
The Edo state REC added that the commission is committed to delivering credible elections in the state while assuring the electorate that it has concluded plans to ensure the use of the Smart Card Readers in the forthcoming Edo state governorship election.
Olumekun stressed that the use of Card Readers in previous elections has helped to reduce “ghost workers and identify fake PVC’s.”
Olumekun who pledged to ensure credibility of the electoral process, in the Edo state governorship election, emphasized that , “Card readers will be used for the conduct of the governorship election in Edo state.”
He added that many of the benefits of the use of the smart card readers were visible in the 2015 presidential election which includes “screening up of fake voters”.
Addressing newsmen at the state commission office in Benin city, Olumekun said 490,000 PVC’s were uncollected by registered voters out of total of 1.7million registered voters in the state, which he noted accounted for almost 30percent of the entire numbers of registered voters in the state.
Olumekun while reacting to allegations making the rounds that some persons belonging to a particular party in the state were in the business of buying and selling PVC’s.
“INEC is legally bound to accept whoever the National Executive of the participating political parties in the state governorship election present. We do not know anything about selling of PVC’s. Our job is to monitor political parties primary and we will only do just that.”, Olumekun said.
He noted that the commission is preparing real hard to ensure a credible and transparent governorship polls in the state, adding that, at least Nine Political parties have indicated interest to contest the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Olumekun who sued for the cooperation and support of security agencies , political parties and other stakeholders for a violence free election in the state, however noted that the use of Smart Card Readers will be complimented with the E-Collation system as introduced by INEC in the Edo state governorship election for the first time.
“INEC needs the support of political parties to stop electoral violence. With the cooperation and support of security agencies, we will curtail violence and ensure maximum security during the state governorship election. “He added.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged of brewing crisis rocking the APC as stakeholders in the Edo state chapters of the party allege cloning of delegates’ Permanent Voters Card by some leaders of the party.
The crisis which first surfaced, Monday, particularly among delegates in Ikpoba Okha local government area has however been described as ‘rape on democracy.’
It was gathered that a meeting of the delegates which was called by some leaders of the party at the Local Government level was asked to ‘cross check’ the cards
Raising the alarm, Tuesday, Curtis Ugbo, a Senior Special Assistant on on Media to the Edo State Governor , Adams Oshiomhole, said: “What is happening now is the same thing that played out in Bayelsa primaries. You will recall that I was part of the entourage that followed our Comrade governor to conduct the botched Bayelsa APC primaries.
“He sent us to go outside and investigate what was happening outside the Samson Siasia stadium and we found out that the delegates’ voters card had been collected from them prior to the day set for the primary and had been cloned.
“So the actual delegates were locked outside the stadium while the fake ones where allowed inside the stadium.”
Confirming the collection of the voters card, former Chairman of Ikpoba Okha local government, Barrister Itohan Ogbeide Osahon saidL “Since the primary is approaching ,and the only means of identification is either the use of driver’s license or the use of voters card which is accessible to everyone so we wanted to know those from our local government whether they have these means of identification.
“So we wanted to know those from Ikpoba Okha delegates if they have the PVC or not which could be a means for them to get access to the venue of the primaries. This was done with the intention to give appropriate advice to those that have and so that we will properly brief them what next line of action to adopt.
Speaking about fears of cloning, the former council boss added; “the point is that with the way that card is been designed, there is no way it can be cloned. The card cannot be used by any other person other than the original owner. What we wanted to do was to find out if they actually have a means of identification and if they don’t maybe we can then tell them to go to the high court to do affidavit, before the primaries or declare that your card is missing, so this is just the purpose of us asking them to come with their PVC.”
In a related development, the Edo State APC Publicity Secretary, Comrade Godwin Ehrahon, Tuesday, asked delegates of the party not to surrender their PVCs.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Benin city titled ‘Don’t surrender your PVCs,’ comrade Erhahon warned that the particular governorship campaign office that has been fingered to be carrying out the act to stop or face the wrath of the law
“Complaints reaching our secretariat from various wards and Local Government Areas of Edo State revealed that some notable party leaders are going round collecting permanent voter’s Cards (PVC) from State Delegates preparatory to the June 18 governorship primary.
“The leaders are said to be buying each PVC with between ten thousand and twenty thousand naira without explanation on what they intend to do with them.
Some Local Government Area party Chairmen are said to be threatening those who refused to submit their PVC that their names will be deleted from the list of delegates.APC condemns this dirty practice and warns those involved to desist or face sanction.
“Delegate who have submitted their PVC to such leaders are hereby advised to retrieve them immediately as such upfront collection of voters or party membership cards is not part of requirement for the primary.
“Nobody can delete any name from the delegate list as the authentic list has been released to stakeholders by the National Secretariat.
“Delegates whose PVCs are withheld by anybody should forward written protest to the national secretariat urgently and copy the Director of State Security Service, Benin City.
“Investigations by the secretariat revealed that the collection of PVCs from delegates is being undertaken by the campaign organization of a particular governorship aspirant.
“The purpose, according to reliable source, is to distribute the cards to loyalist of the particular aspirant to impersonate the delegate at the primary. Should their aspirant lose out in the primary, they also intend to withhold the PVC till after the September 10 general election to sabotage whoever emerged as APC governorship candidate at the poll.
“Edo APC hereby calls on the national leadership of the party to be pro-active and ensure that desperados do not succeed in their plot against the party,” it concluded.
