The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked a report in a national newspaper to the effect that it had concluded plans to destroy over six million uncollected Permanent Voter Cards PVCs.

INEC in a message on its X handle on Sunday said the report was incorrect.

I ?Our attention has been drawn to a newspaper report that the Commission is contemplating the destruction of over six million uncollected Permanent Voters? Cards (PVCs) going back to the 2015 voter registration.

?The report is incorrect. At no time did the Commission contemplate the destruction of uncollected PVCs. The public is advised to discountenance the story,? the commission stated.

Ahead of future elections in the country, INEC had recently recommended the use of computer-generated voting slips by those who do not have the PVCs.

Speaking last month in Abuja during the quarterly consultative meeting with Residents Electoral Commissioners RECs, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said PVCs should no longer be the sole requirement for voting, especially with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS.

Yakubu said the commission having released its 524-page main report on the 2023 general election; it has consulted widely with its own officials and externally with all major stakeholders

?The Commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS, the use of the Permanent Voters? Cards PVC as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed.

?Those who already have the PVCs can still use them to vote, but going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission?s website will suffice for voter accreditation. This will not only save cost, it will also eliminate the issues around the collection of PVCs and the diabolical practice of buying up the cards from voters in order to disenfranchise them?, Yakubu had said.

It was gathered that during the review, one of the stakeholders had recommended that the Commission should take steps to withdraw PVCs issued since 2015 but which remained uncollected by their owners. (Vanguard)

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