The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would reveal its findings on investigation carried out on alleged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) found in different locations in Nigeria.
The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, said this at a two-day capacity workshop for INEC Press Corps on critical issues in the Electoral Act, 2022, and preparations for 2023 general election in Lagos on Monday.
Okoye said INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, would brief Nigerians on the findings.
“The chairman has made it clear that we were going to investigate that particular issue and that we were going to make our findings public.
“The chairman will make finding of the commission public as relate to PVCs allegedly found in inappropriate locations,” he said.
On the perception that incidence forms may still be used for 2023 general election, Okoye said the usage of the forms in Nigeria electoral process was dead and buried.
The INEC official further enjoined the electorate to look at how to advance in the usage of technology in the country’s electoral process and not to move backward.
“We have retired the Smart Card Readers and incidence forms and nobody can resurrect them. People should leave some of the things that we have already buried.
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“We should now be talking on how we advance. We are advancing. Technology move forward. Technology does not move backwards,” Okoye said.
He also faulted allegation that some of the Non-Governmental Oragnisations (NGOs) accredited as election observer groups were owned by INEC officials.
Okoye said as a product of civil society and former chairman of Transition Monitoring Group for four years, he knew the process and criteria involved in accrediting organisations as election observers.
He stated that INEC has already published its applications calling on NGOs and CSOs as well as international organisations interested in monitoring the 2023 general election to apply.
He said no organisation would be accredited without being registered by Cooperate Affairs Commission (CAC) as well as having a bank account and credibility in monitoring election.
Also speaking at the event, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said since the conclusion of the 2019 general election, INEC had embarked on internal restructuring, engagements with stakeholders and several innovations aimed at improving its services and the electoral process.
Oyekanmi said the efforts have produced some positive results, including the replacement of the old Electoral Act, 2010 with a new Electoral Act, 2022.
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