Politicians banking hope on winning election by buying Permanent Voter Cards would be disappointed during the 2023 general elections, Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini said.
Igini said Section 47(1,2,3) of the Electoral Act, 2022 makes it difficult for people to rig the forthcoming election in that a person intending to vote must present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.
He spoke this at Bezaleel Hall, AKHA Road, off Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo during a one-day seminar mounted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on understanding the Electoral Act for members of Nigeria Union Journalists, Akwa Ibom Council.
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He said unlike the repealed Electoral Act, 2010 that urged person intending to vote must present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation, the Act 2022 was tight in forestalling rigging.
”People buying and warehousing PVCs will be disappointed in that the principle of one man, one vote entrenched in the Act to deepen our democracy.”
Igini said the introduction of bimodular accreditation to the Electoral Act, 2022 would add beauty to the elections.
‘‘In fact, Name, signature, unique, surname, bimodal and place of accreditation are pieces of information in the PVCs.’’
Commenting on over voting, he cited Section 51(1,2) provide safe guards against over voting usually adopted by some politicians to beat their opponents using a polling unit.
According to him, ‘No voter shall vote for more than one candidate or record more than one vote in favour of any candidate at any one election.’’
‘‘Where the number of votes,’’ he explained, ‘‘cast at an election in any polling unit exceeds the number of accredited voters in that polling unit, the Presiding Officer shall cancel the result of the election in that polling unit.’’
The state NUJ Chairman, Amos Etuk thanked the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the seminar, and enjoined journalists to make good use of the knowledge gained during the seminar.
