Stay away from voting areas, Oyo REC warns those without PVCs

Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mutiu Agboke, has warned voters without Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) to stay away from polling centres.

This also came as Agboke assured that the presidential and national assembly election could not be rigged in favour of any political party as a result of the recent innovations introduced into the voting system.

He stated this yesterday during a sensitisation visit to the University of Ibadan (UI) Central Mosque where he joined the Muslim community to observe the Jumaat service.

Agboke warned political parties instigating voters without PVCs to besiege the polling booths and insist on voting to desist from doing so and avoid what he described as ‘invitation to anarchy’.

He advised those without PVC to stay at home and not attempt going to the voting centres with the Temporary Voters Card (TVC), as only people with PVCs will be allowed to vote.

No incident form will be issued to anybody who cannot present the PVC at any of the voting centres across the state, he added.

The INEC chief assured that no politician could bribe any electoral official, as the system that would be deployed in for the election would surprise many people.

Pointing out that many politicians and political parties were still living in the past by believing that they could rig the election, Agboke said innovations introduced into ballot would make it impossible for elections to be manipulated.

“Let all of us remain calm. This election cannot be rigged. You cannot bribe any electoral officer to gain advantage. You cannot bribe me to help you. There is no help I can render because I have no power over it. At the stages of our election, we have different personnel that will monitor it. We are not yet there, but we are developing gradually.

“This is not an election that can allow violence to give an advantage to any candidate. Some of the politicians and candidates are living in the past. So, many innovations that we have introduced, we are going to showcase them tomorrow.

“So, please, no PVC, no voting, and we have also said that even if you are a candidate and you don’t have PVC, you cannot go there; but that does not stop people from voting you,” he said.