2015 Elections: INEC Challenges PDP

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has reacted to allegations by the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) that it was deliberately preventing valid voters in certain sections of the country from getting their Permanent Voter Cards.According to Premium Times report, Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, debunked the allegations, saying the PDP should validate its claims by providing proof.He said: “It is they that should produce proof that we have not produced the cards, because INEC has produced those cards and put them in the public domain. Anybody who says it is not like that should produce proof,” Mr. Idowu said.The spokesperson for the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO,Femi Fani-Kayode had alleged that INEC was deliberately distributing the PVCs in such manner as to disenfranchise many voters from North Central, South-East, South-South and South-West geo-political zones.While speaking on the millions of registered voters who were yet to collect their PVCs, Mr. Idowu said the deadline for the collection of PVC has been extended therefore people need to make use of that opportunity.“INEC cannot drag people out of their houses to collect their PVCs. It is for INEC and the media to continue to sound it in the ears of people that they need to make judicious use of this time; otherwise, anyone who does not collect his card will disenfranchise himself,” he added.The elections which had been initially scheduled for February 14 had been postponed by INEC for 6 weeks to March 28. The electoral commission cited security concerns as the reason for the postponement of the elections.The distribution of the PVC was a reason the PDP and some parties and groups called for the postponement of the elections.