November 27, (THEWILL) – A Sokoto man, Nasiru Idris, has been sentenced to one year in prison by a Magistrate Court in Sokoto, for being in possession of 101 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye, disclosed this in a statement issued Sunday, in Abuja.
Idris was intercepted by security operatives on October 10, following an intelligence report.
The offence is in contravention of Sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act 2002.
Okoye also disclosed that the prosecution of another man, who was found to be in possession of 367 PVCs in Kano State has commenced.
According to him, the Commission met at the weekend and deliberated on a number of issues, among them the date and procedure for the collection of PVCs and the prosecution of persons arrested for illegal possession of PVCs.
The statement read: “In the last couple of weeks, the police have arrested some individuals found to be in illegal possession of voter cards in some states.
“In one case, the police concluded the investigation and handed over the case file to the commission, resulting in the successful prosecution of one Nasiru Idris, at a Magistrate Court in Sokoto, who was found to be in possession 101 PVCs in contravention of Sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act 2002. He has been sentenced to a year in prison.
“Similarly, the police in Kano State have arrested a man who was found to be in possession of 367 PVCs. The suspect has been charged to court and the commission is pursuing his prosecution.”
On the collection of PVCs, INEC said it would “hold a retreat in Lagos from November 28 to December 2, with all the resident electoral commissioners (RECs) in the country and would, thereafter, release the dates as well as the detailed procedure for the immediate collection of PVCs nationwide.
“The commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians, especially those who registered as voters or applied for transfer/replacement of their cards from January to July 2022.
“In making the cards available for collection, the commission is also working to ensure that the process is hitch-free.
“The commission wishes to reiterate that it will continue to pursue all violators of the Electoral Act and ensure they’re diligent prosecution.”
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