Francis Iwuchukwu
The need to identify and arrest politicians who are allegedly buying Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from poor Nigerians, and promptly bring them to justice, has been extended to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Also called upon to do the same are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) and appropriate anti-corruption agencies.
The request came from a Lagos-based human rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), through a letter signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, who also asked the president to “ensure that the politicians and their sponsors who are suspected to be involved in these grave electoral and human rights crimes are named and shamed, regardless of their political affiliations.”
It is recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had recently alleged that some politicians are buying PVCs from poor Nigerians across the country. The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) equally corroborated the allegations, reportedly stating that some politicians are buying PVCs with N2, 000 in the north.
According to the letter dated December 17, 2022, SERAP argued that: “Buying of PVCs from poor Nigerians is a threat to fair and representative elections, as it amounts to vote buying, undue influence, and improper electoral influence.”
