2023: 394, 880 PVCs Yet To Be Collected In Osun – REC

–Says BVAS Will Retire Fraudulent Politicians

—As JDPMC Urges Religious Leaders To Sensitize Their Followers On The Need To Vote on election Days

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, has said that using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will retire all fraudulent politicians in future elections.

The REC disclosed this on Wednesday in Osogbo, Osun State capital at the forum for Strategic Dialogue Between Christian and Muslim Religious Leaders with the electoral Commission which was organised by the faith based organisation, Justice, Development and Peace Makers’ Centre (JDPMC).

Agboke said that BVAS will be used for both accreditation and transmission of the results at the polling units, stating that no electorate will be allowed to vote without being accredited with BVAS.

He charged the religious leaders to educate the electorate to be part of electioneering process in their various communities to ensure that nobody bypasses the BVAS accreditation during the election.

He also restated that the Commission will deploy security agencies that will monitor vote buyers and sellers on election days.

However, he called on religious leaders to use their platform to preach against vote buying and violence during and after the elections.

According to him, “I enjoin everyone to be part of this process by reporting those that always disrupt election and cause violence on election day. Let’s stay back after our vote and get the total number of accreditation and votes cast in our pooling units before leaving.

“Any polling unit with interruption of votes, destruction on the election will record zero vote.

“We will arrest and shame anyone caught selling their PVC to others. We will also deal with vote buyers on Election Day.

“The total number of those who have collected their Permanent Voters Cards, (PVC) in Osun State is 1,560,777 (one million, five hundred and sixty thousand, seven hundred and seventy-seven), while those who are yet to collect their PVCs are 394,880 (three hundred and ninety-four thousand eight hundred and eighty).

“Most of the uncollected PVC are the old cards. Some of the owners of these cards have relocated without process of the transfer of their cards.”

The Grand Imam, Osun state, Shaikh Musa Animasahun, represented by the Special Assistant to the Grand Imam and alfa, Abdusalam Akinwumi and the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo, Bishop John Oyejola, urged those who are yet to collect their PVC do the needful for them to choice their leaders.

They warned politicians to desist from using thugs to disrupt election for a peaceful conduct.

Meanwhile, the coordinator of Justice, Development and Peace Makers’ Centre, (JDPMC), Rev. Father Peter Akinkunmi said that the forum was called for spiritual leaders to have clearer insight and understand direction as Nigeria is preparing for the general election.

Akinkunmi stressed that it is very important everyone is carried along, especially strategic shareholders in the society.

He said,“In Osun state we know that spiritual leaders have the heart and mind of the people. A lot is going on in the media and communities sensitisation. But we know how wonderful and powerful it could be if the spiritual leaders are completely involved in the process of sensitisation and mobilising people ahead of the coming election.”

“We call for solidarity with the Persons with Disability in the process of PVC collection. Let all citizens be generous in given them priority on queues and all forms of support necessary to ensure that they are disenfranchised ahead of the election. We make special appeal to INEC to ensure that through credible data disaggregation, it is able to deploy appropriate support materials needed by persons with disability such as blindness and albinism to the very PU where they have registered.

“Finally, we are confident that religious leaders would intensify their various efforts in using the religious platform for sensitization and voter education ahead of the election. In compliance however with the electoral law, let it be noted that religious centres can only educate the people on HOW and not WHO to vote. As we draw closer to the elections, JDPMC shall continue to further her collaboration with all people of goodwill to work for a peaceful, inclusive and credible election in 2023.”