In response to the alert raised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that certain politicians are purchasing PVCs from unsuspecting Nigerians, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) have alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) weaponized poverty in the country and was behind the purchase of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from registered voters in order to commit electoral fraud in the 2023 general elections.
Both the PDP and the LP made the claims.
Mohammed Haruna, the National Commissioner for Abuja, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Plateau states, disclosed on Monday in the nation’s capital that INEC recently convicted two individuals in Sokoto and Kano states for illegal possession of PVCs.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, told Vanguard that INEC’s alarm should not be treated lightly, but rather investigated in order to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators.
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Ologunagba added that, from its establishment in 2015, the APC has weaponized poverty in the country, thereby justifying the purchase of PVCs with money from poor Nigerians.
Ologunagba stated, “The alarm raised by INEC should not be taken lightly because in the last couple of weeks, Nigerians have seen an upsurge in the desperate tactics by the ruling All Progressives Congress, to grab and retain power by all means including the purchase of PVCs from gullible people.
Ologunagba stated, “The alarm raised by INEC should not be taken lightly because in the last couple of weeks, Nigerians have seen an upsurge in the desperate tactics by the ruling All Progressives Congress, to grab and retain power by all means including the purchase of PVCs from gullible people. “The party has weaponized poverty which it intends to use to cow Nigerians into doing its bidding.
“While we await a thorough investigation to unravel the extent to which APCs desperation has led it into seeking to criminally manipulate our electoral process to subvert the will of Nigerians, we implore our security agencies and President Buhari, to remain faithful to their promise to bequeath a credible, free and fair election come 2023.”
Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the Chief Spokesperson of the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council, decried electoral crime in all its forms while speaking with reporters.
“We in the Labour Party condemn electoral crime in all its ramifications. I’m certain the politicians being described by INEC are not within our rank or file, that is why we have been taking our plea for votes directly to Nigerians.
“Our candidate has been campaigning and appearing in debates and town hall meetings because he knows the power to put him and his running mate and of course, our party in office is in the hands of the people.
“We enjoin Nigerians to beware of politicians, who stole from our common patrimony while in office at one time or another.
“These are the same people who have come to use these same stolen funds to try to buy their PVCs and their votes,” Yunusa said.
