Sellers, buyers of voter cards risk 2-yr jail term, N.5m fine — INEC

SELLERS and buyers of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) risk two years jail term and N500,000 fine, according to Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Administrative Secretary in Sokoto State.

Sadiq disclosed this, on Wednesday in Sokoto, at a one-day stakeholders’ forum on the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise scheduled to begin today.

The exercise is expected to be inaugurated by Mrs Amina Zakari, INEC National Commissioner in charge of the North-West.

He said that a similar punishment would be meted to any person found to be in possession of a voter card unlawfully.

“There is also a one-year jail term, N100,000 fine, or both, for any person who makes a false statement, fails to give information or facilitate the registration of a fictitious person,” he said.

He said that a five-year jail term, N500,000 fine, or both, awaited anyone who induced any person to refrain from registering a voter.

According to Sadiq, same punishment will be meted out to any person who hinders another from registering as a voter.

The official said that the offences contravened the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010.

He said that INEC was working with security agencies to prevent political parties from hijacking the exercise.

Sadiq warned INEC staff to avoid any action that could compromise the integrity of the exercise, saying that anyone caught would be sanctioned.

INEC also said on Wednesday that it would issue new PVCs to individuals who lost their own to Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.

The Administrative Secretary of INEC in Borno State, Malam Abdulhamid Buba, made this known at a news conference in Maiduguri on the registration exercise.

He said that INEC had made adequate preparation to ensure success of the event in the state.

“We shall attend to those whose PVCs were destroyed as a result of the activities of insurgents in Borno.

“Individuals who have relocated from one place to another and wish to transfer their voting points will also be considered,’’ Buba said.

According to him, the exercise will take place across the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) considered safe enough as well as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Maiduguri to ensure fairness to all.

“In some LGAs like Gwoza, we planned to collaborate with the military to ensure that we also capture eligible voters who have returned home after finishing with those in IDPs camps in Maiduguri.’’

Meanwhile, Ekiti State government has declared today and tomorrow as work-free days for the people of the state to participate in the registration exercise.

A statement by the government, on Wednesday, and signed by the Head of Service, Dr Olugbenga Faseluka, said the declaration was “to enable workers participate actively in the registration and revalidation of voters’ register in the state.”

Dr Faseluka said in the statement that “it is mandatory for all public servants to mobilise and participate in the exercise,” and added that “the holiday period should be used solely for the civic exercise.”