THE Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has said it would hunt down those allegedly buying Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) of registered voters ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The ICIR reported on Tuesday, December 13, that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had raised an alarm that some politicians were buying PVCs of voters to harvest their Voter Identification Numbers (VIN) ahead of the polls.
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INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, who made the allegation, warned politicians and unsuspecting Nigerians against the development.
He noted that no person would vote on election days without a PVC.
Although Haruna did not mention the politicians involved in the alleged act, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) have pointed accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of PVC-buying.
Both parties condemned the act, accusing the APC of weaponising poverty because it is desperate to retain power in 2023.
However, in a statement released on Wednesday, December 14, the Nigeria Police Force said it will go after PVC buyers.
The statement, signed by Force spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the Police will work with INEC to track those buying and selling PVCs.
“PCVs have never been displayed on any table in the market for sale,” he said.
“We will work with INEC to track down these perpetrators since INEC has more information about the development.”
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, has reiterated the commitment of the Police to synergize with other security agencies to ensure that the 2023 elections are conducted in a free, fair and credible manner.
“The 2023 general elections will hold; we have done it before when people came up and raised different doubts about elections in Edo, Ekiti, Anambra and Osun states. We did it and recorded huge successes,” he said while speaking in Ibadan on Tuesday, December 13.
“We remain strategic in our actions and in synergy with other security agencies, there is nothing to fear about the 2023 general elections.”
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