The Ademola Adeleke Campaign Council has accused of a subversive campaign to obtain Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and harvest voters’ personal data prior to the upcoming Osun State governorship elections, saying the development could be a grave threat to the credibility of the forthcoming poll.
The campaign maintained that individuals that are connected with political interests are allegedly targeting certain parts of the state there to elicit financial offers in return for PVCs and sensitive information of the elector. The alleged activities have been conceived to muffle the actual voting, the council stated, claiming those operations are aimed at using the electoral process in order to distort democracy.
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The council urged Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to conduct a prompt investigation and bring to book those responsible for the alleged acts, while ensuring that the integrity of the elections is not harmed or compromised.
It warned the electorate against giving away voter’s cards or giving out personal electoral data to uninvited people.
Campaign managers likewise urged civil society groups, election monitors and the media to further raise public consciousness against vote buying and other electoral irregularities, urging that guaranteeing the sanctity of the ballot be a collective responsibility.
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The allegations follow the intensification of political activities before elections for the governorship position of Osun state, as both the ruling and opposition political parties also ramp up mobilisation activities in the state.
INEC has stood for a good deal of years against the practice of vote buying, PVC trading and by extension, all electoral offences which it has termed ‘criminal acts’ punishable by the electoral laws of Nigeria.
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INEC has yet not to establish or confirm the particular allegations raised by the Adeleke Campaign Council, while none of the political opponents named by the campaign for inspection and confirmation responded instantly.
