Mike Igini, a former Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) has assured that the electoral umpire will reproduce all Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) burnt by hoodlums during attacks on its offices.
This is as there has been a spike of attacks on the commission’s offices with the recent in Izzi local government area of Ebonyi, yesterday where several PVCs and other electoral materials were destroyed.
Igini stated during an interview on Tuesday on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily that the attacks on its offices across the country are attacks on democracy but said that non-state actors can’t stop the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
He also said the electoral commission will reproduce all Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) burnt by hoodlums during attacks on its offices.
However, Igini said INEC has the information of all PVCs at state and national offices and it won’t take it days to reproduce them.
“INEC has the capacity to respond to these challenges, particular in respect to the PVCs that have been burnt. INEC has the number of all the PVCs…It is a matter of days, INEC will produce those PVCs,” he said.
He urged Nigerians not to be discouraged but to ensure they get their PVCs and exercise their franchise in the next general election.
The former REC also decried the inability of security agencies to bring perpetrators of violent attacks on INEC offices to book.
“Why should extra-constitutional actors, why should non-legitimise actors continue to attack INEC. It is an attack on democracy. My pain is that we have not been able to track anybody.
“It is a big challenge to all security agencies in this country that for these years, we have been unable to track those who attack our democracy.
“Look at what happened in the US, all those who attacked the Capitol Hill have been brought to book everyday but here we are in a state of anomie,” Igini stated.
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