By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The IndependentNational Electoral Commission (INEC) has described as misleading and false the trending narrative that Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) issued by the Commission in 2011 should be revalidated before the 2023 General Elections.
Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, in a terse press statement on Friday night dismissed the PVCs revalidation narrative as fake news.
According to him: “The Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) issued by INEC in 2011 and after can still be used by their respective owners to vote in all elections, including the upcoming Federal Capital Territoy (FCT) Area Council Elections, the Ekiti and Osun Governorship elections, as well as the 2023 General Election. To be sure, PVCs issued in 2011 and after do not need any revalidation”.
Oyekanmi also said “It is also not true that the Commission will use the so called “New Card Reader” for the 2023 General Election”.
Explaining further the INEC Chairman’s Spokesman said: “What the Commission intends to use is a multi-purpose gadget , known as the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED). It is currently being used for the physical registration of voters. During an election, it will facilitate the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which provides for both fingerprint and facial authentication”.
“The device will also be used to upload individual polling unit election results to the INEC Result Viewing portal (IReV) in real time on election day”.
“The general public should therefore disregard the fake news making the rounds that the PVCs issued in 2011 need revalidation. There is no need to revalidate any PVC issued by INEC for election purposes”.
Prompt News reports that the PVCs revalidation narrative have gained traction after one of the country’s top politicians angling to become the next President of Nigeria went to town with the false claim that the PVCs issued by INEC in 2011 need
revalidation before they could be used again.
This unfounded claim, although dismissed by INEC almost immediately, has continued to be promoted by some unpatriotic people in the society hence the latest reaction by Oyekanmi.
