By Akinwale Kasali
Electoral Umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been put on the spot to give an explanation over the mass dumping of Permanent Voter Cards in major cities of Lagos and Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Group is under the aegis of Peter Obi Support Network, a Group supporting and championing the Presidential Aspiration of Labour Party, LP, Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.
In a letter submitted to the electoral body and dated August 30, 2022, the Group said the PVCs being exhumed from dump sites and gutters exposed confidential information of owners of the mutilated cards.
In the statement made available to the Media on Monday, the Group expressed fears and worries over the PVCs of eligible Nigerians exhumed from gutters and refuse dumps of major cities.
It reads, “In the last few weeks, various disturbing viral videos on social media platforms, notably Facebook and Twitter, showed thousands of PVCs of eligible Nigerians being exhumed from gutters and refuse dumps in major cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a daily basis, showing the names, pictures and other confidential information of owners of the mutilated cards.
“We find such disturbing viral videos extremely worrying and politically demotivating, taking into cognisance the arduous rigorous process the average Nigerian faces in an attempt to comply with the registration demands prescribed by your agency, only to be flushed away, mutilated and destroyed in such a wicked, callous and dehumanizing manner by supposed staff working under your office for whatever selfish motives that may have actuated their horrible actions.”
It also demanded that INEC relocate the polling unit almost inside the residence of one of the major contenders for the 2023 presidential election in Bourdillon, Lagos State.
It said, “We have received credible reports from our members resident near Bourdillion in Ikoyi, Lagos, a particular polling unit is sited disturbingly close to the personal residence of one of the major contestants in the forthcoming presidential elections slated for February 25, 2023, making them highly apprehensive of their ability to vote freely on any election day.
“Their fears are not without foundation, judging from events of the past elections where political thugs and social miscreants loyal to the cause of the presidential candidate had sought to undermine the peaceful voting process via violent intimidation in a bid to stop voters from voting for candidates of their choice, even when the suspected candidate was not a direct contestant in previous elections.”
The group further requested that all INEC officials who have manifestly connived and colluded with anti-democratic elements in the country should face prosecution to deter others.
POSN demanded the creation of “practical and verifiable platforms where registered voters denied their rights to ownership/possessions of PVCs could ventilate their complaints and have same expeditiously remedied via the issuance of PVCs to them without delay.”
