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Tag: festus okoye

  • 2023: INEC sends strong warning to political parties ahead of campaigns

    2023: INEC sends strong warning to political parties ahead of campaigns

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sent a strong message of warning to political parties and candidates ahead of the political campaigns for the 2023 general election.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the INEC especially warned the political parties and candidates against the use of masqueraders, public facilities and religious centres for campaigns.

    The commission asked political parties to align strictly with the provisions of the Electoral Act to avoid sanctions as stipulated by the Act.

    INEC had fixed September 28 for the commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly, while the elections would hold on February 25, 2023.

    Relying on Section 92 of the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Committee on Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, explained that the law expected political campaigns to be civil and devoid of abuse.

    In previous electioneering, some political parties and their candidates were wont to engage in all kinds of theatrics, including the use of masqueraders, to entertain the crowd and add colour to their rallies. Some also covertly campaigned in public offices and worship centres, especially churches and mosques, to woo civil servants and worshippers, respectively.

    But quoting from the provisions of the section, Okoye said, “Section 92 of the Electoral Act makes it mandatory that a political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.

    “Therefore, abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns.

    “Subsection 3 states that places designated for religious worship, police stations and public offices shall not be used for political campaigns, rallies and processions; or to promote, propagate or attack political parties, candidates or their programmes or ideologies.

    “Masqueraders shall not be employed or used by any political party, aspirant or candidate during political campaigns or for any other political purpose.”

    As witnessed in some previous elections where parties hired thugs to repel detractors, Okoye in reference to subsection (5) of Section 92, warned parties and candidates against training or enlisting the help or services of individuals or groups for the purpose of displaying physical force or coercion in a manner that could arouse reasonable apprehension during the campaigns.

    In reference to Section 6 of the Act, however, Okoye added, “A political party, aspirant or candidate shall not keep or use armed private security organisation, vanguard or any other group or individual by whatever name called for the purpose of providing security, assisting or aiding the political party or candidate in whatever manner during campaigns, rallies, processions or elections.”

    Answering interview questions from pressmen in Abuja and speaking on the need for compliance, the INEC national commissioner pointed out that the Act already provided for sanctions for violators and that adherence to the law should be prioritised by all the parties and candidates.

    In tandem with subsections 7(a)(b) and 8, Okoye stated, “A political party, aspirant or candidate who contravenes any of the provisions of Section 92 of the Act commits an offence and is liable on conviction in the case of an aspirant or candidate, to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months; and in the case of a political party, to a fine of N2,000,000 in the first instance, and N1,000,000 for any subsequent offence.

    “A person or group of persons who aids or abets a political party, an aspirant or a candidate in organising or equipping any person or group for the purpose of enabling them to be employed for the use or display of physical force commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of three years or both.”

    On those who coerce others to support their candidates or refrain from supporting a particular candidate during campaigns, he added, “Section 93 of the Act prohibits a party, candidate, aspirant or person or group of persons from directly or indirectly threatening any person with the use of force or violence during any political campaign in order to compel that person or any other person to support or refrain from supporting a political party or candidate.

    “A political party, candidate, aspirant, person or group of persons that contravenes the provisions of Section 93(1) of the Act commits an offence and is liable on conviction in the case of a candidate, aspirant, or person or group of persons, to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months; and in the case of a political party, to a fine of N2,000,000 in the first instance, and N500,000 for any subsequent offence.”

  • Electronic transmission of results has come to stay – INEC

    Electronic transmission of results has come to stay – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that the electronic transmission of election results has come to stay.

    The commission gave the clarification in a statement titled: “Clarification on Electronic Transmission of Election Result” signed by Mr Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in Abuja on Sunday.

    Okoye said that electronic transmission of result would be deployed for all future elections and the  2023 general elections.

    He said the commission’s attention had been drawn to a misunderstanding arising from a recent short interview granted to a national newspaper on the procedure for result management during elections.

    Okoye said that some had interpreted the explanation on result management procedure to mean that the commission had jettisoned the electronic transmission of result and reverted to the manual process. “This is not correct.

    “For clarity, the procedure for result transmission remains the same as in recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun. There will be no change in all future elections, including the 2023 general elections.

    “We wish to reassure Nigerians that the electronic transmission of result has come to stay. It adds to the credibility and transparency of the process when citizens follow polling unit level results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on real-time on election day.

    “There will be no change or deviation in subsequent elections.”

    Okoye said the entire gamut of result management was provided for in Sections 60, 62 and 64 of the Electoral Act 2022.

    He said that in line with the provision of the law, the commission, in April 2022,  released a detailed clarification of the procedure for transmission, collation and declaration of result which was shared with all stakeholders and uploaded on INEC website.

    Okoye appealed to all Nigerians to avail themselves of the provisions of the Electoral Act and the commission’s detailed explanation of the procedure and not reach a conclusion on the basis of media headlines.

  • INEC redeploys 2 RECs, 8 directors

    INEC redeploys 2 RECs, 8 directors

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has redeployed two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and eight directorate level members of staff.

    The commission disclosed this in a statement by National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The redeployed RECs according to Okoye were Dr Cyril Omorogbe from Cross River to Akwa-Ibom; and Dr Alalibo Sinikiem from Edo to Rivers.

    The eight directors redeployed were Paul Omokore from Planning and Monitoring Department, Headquarters to be the Director of ICT at the Headquarters, Abuja.

    Also the Director of ICT, Chidi Nwafor has been redeployed from the headquarters to Enugu as the state Administrative Secretary.

    Similarly, Mr Chima, the Administrative Secretary, Anambra State was directed to resume as the Director, Planning and Monitoring Department, Headquarters, Abuja; while Mr Jude Okwuanu, the Administrative Secretary of Enugu State, has been moved to Anambra State as the state Administrative Secretary.

    Others include Usman Wase, the acting Director, Human Resource Management, Headquarters redeployed as acting Administrative Secretary, Nasarawa State; while Mr Salisu Garba the Director in the Electoral Operations Department was deployed to take over as Director Procurement, Headquarters, Abuja.

    The commission also redeployed the acting Administrative Secretary, Waziri Zanna FCT, to be acting Director, Human Resource Management, Headquarters, Abuja.

    The statement also said that Godwin Edibo, the acting Administrative Secretary of Nasarawa State is to resume as the acting Administrative Secretary of FCT.

    Okoye explained that the redeployment was in line with the extant policy.

    He said that the redeployments/postings take immediate effect, while handing and taking over should be concluded on/or before Friday Aug. 26.

    Okoye recalled that on March 24, the commission redeployed 385 members of staff nationwide.

    He said that redeployment and posting was a routine exercise.

  • INEC denies recognising Lawan, Akpabio for senatorial elections

    INEC denies recognising Lawan, Akpabio for senatorial elections

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied alleged   doctoring of  documents to accommodate Sen. Ahmed Lawan and Godswill Akpabio to run for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West senatorial districts respectively in  2023.

    The commission gave the denial in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Okoye said that not for the first time, INEC’s  attention had been drawn to a story published by an online medium that the commission had doctored, backdated and certified documents to accommodate the nominations of Lawan and Akpabio, from Yobe and Akwa-Ibom respectively.

    Okoye said that nothing could be further from the truth.

    He said that as evidence of the alleged role played by the commission, a certified true copy of Form 9C uploaded by the duo candidates’ political party and received by INEC on June 17 when the nomination portal closed was presented.

    Okoye said that for clarity, the Form EC9 (submission of names of candidates by political parties) was the form uploaded by parties on the INEC nomination portal.

    He said that was clearly indicated on the title of the form which was received on June 17 when the portal closed.

    “What follows is the publication of the personal particulars of nominated candidates which was done a week later. The forms of the two personalities in question were not published by the commission. The decision of the commission triggered legal action which are still ongoing.

    “It, therefore,  defies logic and common sense to go around and submit doctored documents purportedly recognising the duo as candidates when the matter is clearly sub-judice.”

    Okoye said that as part of the ongoing case in Court, a law firm requested for a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Form EC9 submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District which INEC was duty bound to oblige them under the law.

    He explained that the form was certified on July 15, 2022.

    “If minimum care has been exercised by the promoters of the story, they would have seen the two stamps of the commission bearing different dates on the form.

    “It is this form that is now misconstrued as INEC’ s endorsement. For the record, the commission has not recognised any of the two personalities as  senatorial candidates.”

    Okoye called for responsible reportage as against the unwarranted attack on the INEC and its officials over a matter than could be easily fact checked.

  • INEC to deploy 200,000 BVAS in 2023 general elections

    INEC to deploy 200,000 BVAS in 2023 general elections

    INEC National Commissioner in charge of Abia, Anambra and Benue, Mr Festus Okoye, has said that the commission will deploy over 200,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the 2023 general elections.

    Okoye, who was in Abia to monitor the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), said this during an interactive session with newsmen in Umuahia on Friday.

    He said that the BVAS would be deployed in the 176,000 polling units across the country. He said that the surplus would be kept handy as reserve.

    “We will have one BVAS reserve in every Registration Area Centre (RAC) to ensure immediate intervention in case of any failure,” he said.

    He further said that Technical Officers would be on standby at every RAC to attend to any technical issues that could arise in the course of the polls.

    Okoye, who is the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said that the commission had the capacity to conduct seamless general elections in 2023.

    According to him, the commission is poised to replicate the achievements and successes recorded in the Ekiti and Osun Gubernatorial Elections.

    He attributed the commission’s feat in the two elections to the deployment of technology.

    He said that the deployment of technology and outcomes of the elections “have given Nigerians fresh hopes”.

    He said that 2023 offered the commission an opportunity to improve on its record.

    “The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, has assured Nigerians that this commission is determined to conduct good elections to make sure that votes count.

    “The commission will deploy technology to obviate human interferences to undermine its efforts,” Okoye said.

    He expressed delight over the large turnout of young Nigerians for the CVR. He said that of the 11 million Nigerians that had completed their registration, about 7.8 million were between 18 years and 34 years.

    “The interest shown by the young Nigerians meant that the future of the country is bright. The youths have shown that the PVC has power and they are ready to use it to make a change.

    “The PVC has power and value. It is not enough to obtain your PVC. You must come out and vote on the day of the election,” he said.

    Okoye further said that as at July 25, INEC’s record showed that about 28.5 million prospective voters registered online.

    He said the figure included fresh registrants and those for transfers, destroyed, defaced and lost voter cards.

    He also said that the commission had integrated Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process.

    The INEC chieftain said that 34 Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers in the Osun election were PWDs.

    He said that the commission would provide special equipment, including magnifying glasses, brailes and other aids for PWDs during the 2023 polls.

    He also said that expectant and nursing mothers would be given preferential treatment during the polls.

    Okoye said that the commission had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers as part of the efforts to ensure speedy distribution of electoral materials on the election day.

    He said that Electoral Officers at the local government areas would also arrange with the local transport workers for the movement of materials.

    He also said that the commission was discussing with the Police for the timely deployment of personnel to escort materials to polling units.

    Okoye further said that the commission had begun intensive discussion with all the security agencies on ways to provide adequate security on the election day “so that the electorate would be confident to go out to vote”.

    He said that the July 31 deadline for the CVR remained sacrosanct. He said that the commission had enormous task to accomplish ahead of the election proper,  hence could not afford another extension.

    He said that the CVR had lasted for over a year and that INEC would not glorify “the last minute rush attitutde” of some Nigerians.

    Addressing a crowd of prospective registrants at the INEC office, he advised them not to engage in double registration.

    “This exercise is exclusively for those who have not registered before and those that have just attained age 18,” he said.

    He warned that double and multiple registrations were criminal offences and amounted to exercise in futility.

    “At the end of the CVR, the commission will carry out a de-duplication to remove double and multiple registrations,” Okoye said.

    He also spoke on the efforts by the commission to check “voter suppression” through vote buying by desperate politicians and their agents.

    He said that the commission was collaborating with DSS and EFCC to effectively checkmate the ugly phenomenon.

    He said that the commission had yet to get concrete evidence regarding the allegations of under-aged registration in some parts of the country.

    He challenged communities to help arrest the illegal act, saying it could only take place with the complicity of the people.

    Okoye said that PVCs had no expiry date and that it was not true that those obtained in 2011 needed to be invalidated.

    He also said that investigation was still ongoing to uncover the facts surrounding the millions of PVCs reportedly found in one of the states in the country.

    He said that a preliminary investigation by the commission with some samples of the PVCs did not give any clues as to the owners and state they originated from.

  • 2023: Ayade, Akpabio, Lawan, others did not violate Electoral Act by obtaining multiple forms – INEC

    2023: Ayade, Akpabio, Lawan, others did not violate Electoral Act by obtaining multiple forms – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that aspirants who obtained multiple forms for party primaries have not violated the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye was clarifying Section 115 of the Electoral Act 2022 when he made this known.

    Recall that President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State; Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and some others obtained multiple forms for the primary elections their political party conducted.

    Lawan, Akpabio, Ayade and Umahi who were presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were also said to have purchased senatorial forms for their various senatorial districts.

    Section 115(1) (d) of the Act provides that any person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment.

    Section 152 of the Act defines a candidate to mean a person who has secured the nomination of a political party to contest an election for any elective office.

    Reacting on Tuesday in an interview with a correspondent of PUNCH Newspapers, Okoye said those who obtained and signed multiple forms were aspirants and not candidates as defined by Section 152 of the Electoral Act.

    “Before someone will come within the compass and contemplation of the law as a candidate, the political party must conduct valid primaries and the sponsoring party must upload the list or information relating to the candidates they intend to sponsor to the commission’s candidates nomination portal and this is in compliance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

    “Thereafter, the personal particulars of the candidates will be displayed in the constituencies where they intend to contest the election and this is for claims and objections.

    “After this process, the candidates will now fill nomination forms (Forms EC13A, EC13B, EC13C, EC13D and EC13 E) in compliance with Section 30(1) of the Electoral Act.

    “Section 30(1) of the Act provides that a candidate for an election shall be nominated in writing by such number of persons whose names appear on the register of voters in the constituency as the commission may prescribe.

    “This is the process covered by Section 115(d) of the Electoral Act. The last day for the submission of nomination forms for presidential candidates and National Assembly candidates is August 8, 2022 while that of governorship and state assembly candidates is August 18, 2022.

    “During the conduct of party primaries, the persons you referred to are aspirants as defined by Section 152 of the Electoral Act. The forms they filled as aspirants are the forms of their political parties and not that of the commission.

    “The list submitted by the political parties under Section 29(1) of the Act is the list of candidates the party proposes to sponsor.

    “The only documents signed by the candidates are the affidavit deposed by them. That is not the nomination form as contemplated by Section 115(d) of the Act,” Okoye said.

    ALSO READ || BREAKING: Ayade not eligible to run for Senate in 2023 – INEC

    Notwithstanding, INEC had earlier said it did not monitor the primaries that produced some of the aspirants as senatorial candidates, and therefore are not eligible to run in the 2023 elections.

  • Osun poll: Davido schooled for calling INEC to question

    Osun poll: Davido schooled for calling INEC to question

    The National Commissioner and Chairman in charge of the Information and Voter Education Committee of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye has faulted David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido for calling the commission to question.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Davido, nephew to Senator Ademola Adeleke, Osun State Governor-elect, had via Twitter called out INEC for not issuing a Certificate of Return to his uncle three days after winning the governorship election in the State.

    Davido tweeted: “48hrs after our @AAdeleke_01 victory at the Osun Gubernatorial elections, we are yet to receive our certificate. @inecnigeria should we send you fuel money? LOL Please no one should tamper with the will of the Osun People! Issue the certificate as required by Law!”

    In a swift reaction, Okoye said INEC has up to 14 days to issue the winner with the Certificate of Return, stressing that those who influence public opinion, especially in the electoral process should try to arm themselves with basic knowledge of the law and the processes and procedures of the Commission.

    A statement issued by the INEC Commissioner reads: “Those that intervene and play roles in the electoral process should try to have basic knowledge of the constitutive legal instruments that guide and regulate the conduct of elections.

    “The Commission is a public trust and a creation of the Constitution and the law and must be seen to respond to public demands for transparency and openness.

    “The Commission will continue to uphold the basic tenets of transparency, openness and inclusivity in the conduct of elections and the delivery of electoral services.

    “The Commission is not a political party and will not be swayed by partisan political interests. Section 72 of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that a sealed certificate of return at an election in the prescribed form shall be issued within 14 days to every candidate who has been returned by the Returning Officer in an election under the Act.

    “The Commission conducted the Osun Governorship election on the 18th day of July 2022 and the Returning Officer made a declaration and a return on Sunday the 19th day of July 2022. Majority of the staff of the Commission that superintended the election are just returning to Abuja.

    “The Supervising National Commissioner whose responsibility it is to present the certificate of Return is still in Osun waiting for the arrival of the certificate.

    “The Commission made the Declaration and the Return and it is uncharitable to insinuate that the Commission does not want to issue the winner of the election with a Certificate of Return.

    “There is no law in place that mandates the Commission to issue a certificate to any candidate within 48 hours. Those that influence public opinion, especially in the electoral process should try to arm themselves with basic knowledge of the law and the processes and procedures of the Commission”.

  • INEC announces new deadline for voters’ registration

    INEC announces new deadline for voters’ registration

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced a new deadline for the ongoing continuous voter’s registration (CVR) exercise.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the new deadline is 31st July 2022, according to the electoral management body in a statement by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC.

    The statement reads: “The Commission met in an extraordinary session today, Friday 15th July 2022, and discussed among other things, the suspension of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

    “This followed the judgement delivered by the Federal High Court on Wednesday 13th July 2022 in which it dismissed the suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) which is seeking an extension of the exercise beyond 30th June 2022.

    “The Court has affirmed that INEC is at liberty to appoint a date of its choice to suspend the CVR. provided it is not later than 90 days before the date fixed for the General Election as provided in Sec. 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022.

    “In compliance with the interim injunction of the Court pending the determination of the substantive suit, and in order to enable more Nigerians to register, the Commission continued with the CVR beyond 30th June 2022. For this reason, the CVR has already been extended beyond 30th June 2022 for a period of 15 days.

    “With the judgement of the Federal High Court, all legal encumbrances have now been removed. Accordingly, the Commission has taken the following decisions:

    “The CVR is hereby extended for another two weeks until Sunday 31st July 2022, thereby bringing the total duration of the extension to 31 days (1st-31st July 2022); the exercise has also been extended to eight hours daily from 9.00am – 5.00pm instead of the current duration of six hours (9.00am – 3.00pm) daily; and the exercise is also extended to include weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) as against only weekdays”.

    “We appreciate that the timeframe may be tight for many prospective registrants, but there is a lot that the Commission is required to do under the electoral legal framework in relation to voter registration and compilation of the register that will require time to accomplish.

    “For instance, the Commission is required to: Clean-up of the register to remove multiple registrants using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS); Consolidate the national register of voters (existing voters and new registrants) and display same on Polling Unit basis for each of the 8,809 Registration Areas (Wards) across the 774 Local Government Areas nationwide for public scrutiny. This lasts for a period of one week. On the basis of a new projection of 95 million voters, on the basis of 10 voters per page, the Commission has to print 9,500,000 pages for the display:

    “Print millions of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for all fresh registrants and applicants for transfer and replacement of lost or damaged PVCs: Ensure that there is ample time for voters to collect their PVCs ahead of the 2023 General Election: Print the final register of voters in triplicate for the 2023 General Election involving a projected 28,500,000 pages for accreditation and display at 176,846 polling units for national elections (Presidential and National Assembly) on 25th February 2023 and State elections (Governorship and State Assembly) on 11th March 2023; and 6. Make copies of the updated national register of voters available to political parties not later than 30 days to the date fixed for the General Election.

    “We appeal for the patience and understanding of all Nigerians as we conclude the exercise which will resume after the 2023 General Election.

    “We observed that following the continuation of the exercise beyond 30th June 2022, many of the registration centres recorded low turnout of prospective registrants. With this two-week extension, we appeal to eligible citizens not to wait until the last few days before they inundate the centres again to register.

    “We appreciate the interest of Nigerians to register and participate in the electoral process and once again reiterate our commitment to credible and transparent elections. This can only be achieved with the support and cooperation of all Nigerians”.

  • INEC suspends ward level CVR in Igboeze North LGA over attack on officials

    INEC suspends ward level CVR in Igboeze North LGA over attack on officials

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) at the ward level in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, following the attack on its officials in the area.

    This is contained in a statement by Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in Abuja on Thursday.

    Okoye said that INEC Administrative Secretary in Enugu State, Mr Jude Okwuonu, reported that at about 2.30 pm on Wednesday,  the commission officials involved in the CVR were attacked by gunmen in the Community Primary School Umuopu in Umuozzi Ward 19 of Igboeze North Local Government Area.

    “The gunmen fired sporadically into the air to disperse registrants and registration officials. In the ensuing stampede, one of our staff sustained injuries and is receiving treatment in a hospital.

    “However, two voter registration machines and personal items of the staff such as mobile phones were lost.

    “Consequently, the ward level registration of voters in Igboeze North is hereby suspended,” Okoye said.

    He recalled that on July 3, INEC office in Igboeze North Local Government Area was burnt down by unknown arsonists.

    Okoye said that in spite of the attack, the INEC was able to continue with ward-level registration with the assistance of vigilantes provided by the local government authority adding that “it is one of the centres that has now been attacked.”

    Okoye said that the incident had been reported to the police for investigation.

  • INEC commences investigation into alleged buried PVCs

    INEC commences investigation into alleged buried PVCs

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has commenced an immediate investigation into videos trending online of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) allegedly buried underground in some locations, including the compound of a high-profile person.

    The commission disclosed this in a statement by Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner, and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in Abuja on Thursday.

    Okoye, who said that the attention of the commission has been drawn to the video, confirmed that INEC was not taking those allegations lightly.

    “We have commenced immediate investigation and anyone found culpable in this diabolical scheme clearly intended to disenfranchise Nigerians will be sanctioned under the law.

    “Every eligible Nigerian who registered as a voter is entitled to his/her PVC. The constitutional right to vote in any election must never be suppressed or abridged in any way.

    “As far as the record of the Commission is concerned, PVCs have been printed for all valid registrants in Nigeria up to Jan. 14, 2022, and delivered to all the States of the Federation for collection by voters.

    “We will not allow retrogressive elements to sabotage our efforts,” Okoye warned.

    The national commissioner said that the issues of voter registration, compilation of the voters’ roll and issuance of PVCs were at the heart of any democratic elections.

    Okoye said that the commission was working hard to ensure that every eligible citizen who appears in person at the registration venue was registered.

    He assured Nigerians that the matter would be pursued to its logical conclusion.

    “Already, the Commission is reviewing the procedure for collecting PVCs to make it less cumbersome and more transparent.

    “This will be a major topic at the next regular quarterly meeting with stakeholders so that working together we can find a lasting solution to the issue.”

    He, however, said that INEC appealed to those who found the allegedly buried PVCs to deliver them to INEC nearest state or local government office.

    This, according to him, will be their patriotic contribution to the consolidation of Nigeria’s electoral process.