The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that the recent attack on one of its Permanent Voter Card (PVC) distribution centres in Osun State will not affect preparations for the August 15 governorship election, insisting that the poll will proceed as scheduled.
The commission said the theft of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and PVCs by suspected hoodlums would neither compromise the credibility of the election nor disenfranchise eligible voters.
INEC Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, gave the assurance while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, following Sunday’s attack on the commission’s PVC collection centre at Oyinlola DC School, Ward 2, Okuku.
Suspected hoodlums reportedly invaded the centre, assaulted electoral officials on duty and carted away election materials, including BVAS machines and PVCs.
Oketola said the incident had already been reported to the police, adding that investigations were underway to identify and prosecute those responsible.
“The Osun incident has been reported to the police. As we speak, it is already public knowledge that the police have started an investigation,” he said.
He expressed confidence that security agencies would recover the stolen equipment and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“As a commission, we trust that the police will be diligent in their investigation, track those suspects, get them arrested and ensure they face the wrath of the law.
“We also trust that they’ll be able to recover our devices, including the BVAS that were reportedly carted away.”
Despite the attack, Oketola maintained that INEC’s operational activities ahead of the election remained on course.
According to him, the commission is already conducting a pre-election assessment of the state to evaluate its level of preparedness and engage critical stakeholders before the poll.
He disclosed that INEC had configured 4,427 BVAS devices for the election, including 664 backup units, while 97 Super Registration Area Centres (Super RACs) and 105 Registration Area Centres had been established across the state’s local government areas.
The centres, he said, would be activated on the eve of the election to facilitate smooth deployment of personnel and materials.
“Whatever was carted away will be replaced. Out of the 4,427 BVAS, we have 664 prepared as backups. There is no way whatever happened can disrupt our plans for the election,” Oketola said.
He further dismissed concerns that stolen PVCs could be used for electoral fraud, stressing that the BVAS technology makes impersonation impossible through mandatory biometric verification.
“Nobody can use another person’s PVC to vote in an election in Nigeria again. The era of ghost voters is gone. With BVAS, you must tender your PVC and undergo biometric authentication.
“The technology has been tightened in such a manner that nobody can use another person’s identity to vote any longer in Nigeria.”
Oketola also assured voters whose PVCs may have been affected by the incident that the commission would put in place administrative measures to ensure they were not prevented from participating in the election.
He said every registered voter whose name appeared on the official register would be protected from disenfranchisement.
“Whatever the commission will do to solve that problem will be done. I know the commission will leave no stone unturned to ensure that no registered voter in Osun is disenfranchised on the election day,” he said.
Calling for greater collaboration ahead of the election, Oketola urged security agencies, traditional rulers, community leaders, political parties, religious organisations and residents to work together to safeguard electoral materials and ensure a peaceful voting environment.
He added that while security agencies would provide adequate protection during the exercise, collective vigilance remained essential to guaranteeing a successful, peaceful and credible governorship election in Osun State.
