Saraki: We must block politicians from buying PVCs ahead of polls

Senate President Bukola Saraki says politicians seeking to procure permanent voter cards (PVCs) ahead of the general election must be stopped.

Yusuph Olaniyonu, media aide to Saraki, quoted the senate president as saying this in a statement on Thursday.

On Monday, Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said the electoral body is aware of the vote-buying tricks politicians are planning to use during the elections.

Reacting, the senate president urged the INEC chairman to call a stakeholders meeting where measures would be put in place to prevent the buying of PVCs.

He said the procuring of PVCs constitute a major threat to the successful conduct of the polls as “it can become the single factor to decide where victory swings in the election”.

“We have continued to maintain that manipulation of  election results does not start and end on election day. It starts long before the day and goes on even after the declaration of results,” Saraki said.

“That is why we have to continually be vigilant and once we identify any threat to free, fair and  transparent conduct of a credible election like the INEC chairman has done, all stakeholders must put heads together to block the loop-holes.

“All stakeholders must come up fast with a solution to render useless the antics of those who intend procure voter’s cards.

“We all need to put our heads together and I am sure that such a stakeholders meeting will not only nip in the bud the looming danger, it will also engender general confidence in the system and create a system in which all stakeholders become problem solvers.”

Saraki said INEC should “constantly” consult with stakeholders to identify issues affecting the process and how to find joint solutions to it.