ISEYIN, Akeju (Oyo State) – INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, has said 1,583,482 out of 2,381,091 PVCs have so far been distributed in the state.
Akeju said this when he visited the Oba of Iseyin, Abdulganiyu Ajinese, to sensitise people ahead of the general elections
He further disclosed that about 797,960 were yet to be collected by potential voters in the state.
Akeju warned that those who were planning to clone the PVCs risked going to jail.
He said that the Card Reader Machine would detect fake cards instantly.
“No one can use or collect another person’s card, no matter how close you are to the person; the machine is highly sophisticated and will detect any fake or cloned card.
“Anyone caught with cards not belonging to INEC would be handed over to the police immediately, and would be prosecuted”, he said.
Akeju urged traditional rulers in the state to help mobilize voters for PVC collection.
“We in INEC understand the importance and influence of monarchs on the citizens and that is why we decided to visit you as part of voter’s education.
“We are here because we want you to appeal to our people to go out and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) because it is an essential part of election.
“Town criers will be useful here and when people get message from their monarch, they attach more importance to it, they should not wait till the last minutes’’, he said.
He added that rigging would be extremely difficult for any political party, since ballots papers and boxes had been customised for each polling unit.
“Ballot papers and boxes have been serialized; so, the way it is now, you can’t bring boxes and papers that are not meant for the unit, we have perfected plans to have credible elections”, he said.
The REC also said that the commission had been collaborating with various political parties to do campaigns based on issues.
Responding, the monarch advk •d the commission to be impartial during, before and after the elections.
“It is very important for electoral officers not to have sympathy for any political party and association whatsoever”, he said.
The reports state that the REC was accompanied to the palace by Electoral Officers of Iseyin, Itesiwaju, and Iwajowa councils, among others.