Yiaga Africa has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to carry out a comprehensive audit of permanent voter cards (PVCs) reportedly stolen from Ward 2 in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
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‎The electoral advocacy organisation made the demand in its third pre-election assessment report released on Tuesday. It warned that the theft of the PVCs and disruption of their distribution could prevent eligible residents in the affected communities from exercising their right to vote.
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‎Yiaga Africa said INEC must establish the number of PVCs taken during the incident and provide appropriate measures to ensure that affected voters are not disenfranchised. It also cautioned that failure to address the matter could weaken public confidence in the electoral process.
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‎According to the organisation, the attack on the PVC distribution centre highlights security gaps surrounding electoral personnel, facilities and sensitive materials during election preparations.
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‎It therefore urged INEC and security agencies to strengthen intelligence-driven security around registration centres, polling units, collation centres and other locations handling electoral materials.
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‎The group further asked INEC to publicly disclose the number of stolen PVCs and provide an update on the overall rate of PVC collection across Osun State before election day.
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‎The call followed an earlier incident on July 27, when the Osun State Police Command reported that about 10 suspected armed thugs attacked INEC officials in Odo-Otin Local Government Area. The attackers reportedly fired shots into the air before escaping with three packs of PVCs.
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‎INEC, while responding to the incident, said the attack would not affect its determination to conduct a free, fair and credible governorship election in the state.