THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that the reported attack on one of its Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection centres in Osun State will not deter it from conducting a free, fair and credible governorship election in the state.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Dayo Oketola, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, insisting that the commission’s preparations for the election remain firmly on course despite the incident.
The attack occurred on Sunday when suspected hoodlums reportedly stormed an INEC PVC collection centre located at Oyinlola DC School, Ward 2, Okuku, where they attacked officials on duty and carted away electoral materials, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and Permanent Voter Cards.
Oketola, however, disclosed that the incident had been formally reported to the police, who had already commenced investigations.
“The Osun incident has been reported to the police. As we speak, it is already public knowledge that the police have started an investigation,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the police would apprehend the suspects, recover the stolen electoral materials and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“As a commission, we trust that the police will be diligent in their investigation, track those suspects, get them arrested and ensure they face the wrath of the law.
“We also trust that they’ll be able to recover our devices, including the BVAS that were reportedly carted away,” he added.
Oketola maintained that the attack would not affect the commission’s operational preparations for the forthcoming governorship election.
“It is a matter already under investigation, I cannot actually comment too much on it.
“But I know that that cannot distract INEC from carrying out the activities preceding the Osun governorship election.
“INEC cannot be distracted. We will conduct a free and fair election in Osun. That incident cannot distract us.
“The election will go on as planned, and we expect it to be free, fair and credible at the end of the day,” he said.
The INEC spokesman further disclosed that the commission had already embarked on a pre-assessment tour of Osun State to evaluate its operational readiness and engage critical stakeholders ahead of the election.
According to him, a total of 4,427 BVAS devices have been configured for the governorship election, including 664 backup units that can effectively address any operational challenge before or during the poll.
He also revealed that the commission had established 97 Super Registration Area Centres (Super RACs) and 105 Registration Area Centres across all local government areas of the state, which would be fully activated on the eve of the election.
“Whatever was carted away will be replaced. Out of the 4,427 BVAS, we have 664 prepared as backups. There is no way whatever happened can disrupt our plans for the election,” Oketola assured.
He described the theft of Permanent Voter Cards as an exercise in futility because of the strict biometric verification process required by the BVAS technology.
“Nobody can use another person’s PVC to vote in an election in Nigeria again. The era of ghost voters is gone. With BVAS, you must tender your PVC and undergo biometric authentication.
“The technology has been tightened in such a manner that nobody can use another person’s identity to vote any longer in Nigeria.
“That has been proven in previous elections, particularly those that were conducted under the leadership of Prof. Amupitan,” Oketola said.
He also assured registered voters that the commission would take all necessary administrative measures to ensure that no eligible voter would be disenfranchised as a result of the incident.
“Once a voter’s name is already on the voters’ register, and somehow, your PVC happens to be among those that have been reportedly stolen, I want to believe you can’t be disenfranchised from exercising your right or participating in the election, come Aug. 15.
“Whatever the commission will do to solve that problem will be done. I know the commission will leave no stone unturned to ensure that no registered voter in Osun is disenfranchised on the election day,” he said.
While assuring voters of adequate security during the election, Oketola called on all stakeholders to work closely with the commission to safeguard electoral assets and ensure a peaceful electoral process.
“While the security agencies will provide adequate security to protect people and election materials, we also need all key stakeholders to be vigilant.
“The people, community leaders and traditional rulers, security agencies, religious organisations, political actors; all of us must work together to ensure that Osun election is not just successful, but conducted in an atmosphere that gives people the confidence to come out and exercise their franchise,” he said.