By Adeyemi Adeleye
The Lagos office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has lashed out at main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP over the accusation that it is aiding manipulation, intimidation and oppression of voters through the ongoing collection of Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The PDP had told journalists at a conference on Monday that some staff of the electoral commission were colluding with the APC to manipulate the ongoing distribution of PVCs distribution in the state.
The PDP specifically alleged that Muyiwa Yusuf, the Head of Department VR/ICT INEC was also conniving with the APC to clone the faces of voters from the PVCs.
But the electoral commission in a statement Olusegun Agbaje, its Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos state described the allegations as untrue and and diversionary both in content and context.
In the statement which was issued on issued on Tuesday evening by Mrs Adenike Tadese, Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC said the claims that it was cloning and denying some applicants from collecting their their PVCs as well as cloning some PVCs by the PDP is frivolous.
INEC also denied claims that applicants were being denied their PVCs in some parts of Lagos as it insisted that it has no affiliation or inclination to any party in the state.
Agbaje said collection of PVC is based on first come, first served.
INEC said as an Election Management Body (EMB) it is has the constitutional responsibility of conducting free and fair election.
It also said it had no reason to clone PVCs, because such cloned cards would not be authenticated on election day.
“It is pertinent to clarify and correct the frivolous accusation by PDP that some INEC staff are colluding with members of the ruling party in the state to deny some groups of people access to collect their PVCs.
“Mention was equally made of Mr Muyiwa Yusuf, the Head of Department VR/ICT INEC in the state who was alleged to have connived with the APC to clone the faces of voters through the privileged access he has to the PVCs.
“It has become necessary to comment on the recent report which far from being true, was a gross misrepresentation and diversionary both in content and context.
“It is obvious that this orchestrated story by PDP was fabricated to distort the reputation of INEC in the state and to soil the name of the officer in question,” Agbaje said.
On why INEC is scanning PVCs, Agabaje said, “The exercise being embarked upon in the commission at the moment is the scanning of PVCs to harvest phone numbers of eligible registrants yet to collect their cards with a view to contacting them via bulk sms.
“The commission strongly believes in equity, transparency, integrity and fairness in the conduct of her business.
“We shall continue to uphold these fundamental principles in the discharge of our constitutional duties and responsibilities as an un-biased umpire to all stakeholders.”
NAN
