How we will treat identify theft on election day – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) won’t allow identity theft on election day.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said this on Sunday in a chat with reporters.

His response followed the non-validation of the permanent voter’s card (PVC) of a registrant in Imo State during Saturday’s BVAS mock accreditation exercise in designated polling units (PUs) across the country.

“The lady in question is fair complexioned. The picture captured during registration is that of a dark-complexioned lady. No one can identify her with the picture. No one can identify the person on the register. The BVAS could not identify her 10 fingers.

“Someone registered for her. So there is the possibility that the name belongs to her but the fingerprints and image on the BVAS belong to another individual. All the observers agreed that she is not truthful. That is the power of the BVAS. Identify theft will not be allowed,” Okoye said.

When pointed out that the lady in question was at her PU, Okoye said she was truly in her PU because the name was on the register and the details were in the BVAS, insisting that the BVAS was introduced to obviate identity theft.

Asked on the immediate measures in place to arrest and prosecute those found committing identity theft in the event that issues like this come up during the elections, he responded that on Election Day, INEC will deploy four ad-hoc staff to the Polling Unit (PU) consisting of the Presiding Officer and Assistant President Officer one, two and three.

He said they will be joined at the PU by unarmed security agents.

He said, “The outer cordon may be manned by armed security agents and alternatively the security agents may be patrolling. Sometimes, we have a tense situation in PUs and sometimes the situation may be difficult to control.

“Some PUs are in difficult terrain. Some of them are in remote areas. Some of the PUs are in places that are not easily accessible. Some of the Presiding Officers will be struggling to control the crowd.

“Some of the security agents may be in schools with so many PUs and so many registered voters. The rational and reasonable thing to do in the circumstances is to advise the individual (suspected of identity theft) to exit the polling unit.

“The attention of the security agents will be drawn if such an individual becomes disruptive. In such circumstances, the security agents will devise strategies for taking the individual into custody for possible prosecution.

“The commission will not want a situation of a complete breakdown of law and order in a PU. Each situation will be handled based on the specific issue at the PU,” Okoye said.