INEC warns politicians on plots to bypass BVAs in 2023 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its confidence in the effectiveness of the Bimodal Voter Registration System (BVAS) ahead of the 2023 elections.

The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, who featured on a Channels Television’s programme, Sunday Politics, insisted that politicians buying Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to manipulate the 2023 general elections are engaging wasting their time.

He said: “In terms of any politician, bypassing the BVAS, I want to tell you that that will not happen, that is an impossibility.”

The Northern Elders’ Forum and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had last week alleged that politicians are buying PVCs from underprivileged voters to rig the elections.

However, Okoye described it as “an impossibility,” the scheme by the desperate politicians who are already harvesting PVCs to manipulate the elections in their favour.

READ ALSO: Nigerians in diaspora sue Buhari, INEC, demand voting rights in 2023

The INEC official charged security agencies to track down and prosecute politicians manipulating the PVCs in any part of the country.

Okoye said: “Some politicians are very optimistic, they normally plan for the rainy day; they are still thinking that there is a possibility that they can beat the BVAS that we are going to use for voter accreditation and authentication but their exercise will be an exercise in futility.

“Anybody who is purchasing a permanent voters card is just engaging in an exercise in futility. The only thing any person can do is to make sure the voter does not vote on election day but for you to come to the polling unit on election day with a voter’s card belonging to someone else, and you attempt to vote with it, that is an impossibility, the BVAS will not capture your fingerprint.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now