One video dey circulate ontop social media on di 22nd of February wey show pipo dey take out a number of Permanent Voters Card’ (PVC) for Nnewi, Anambra State.
Dis dey come just a few days before di Nigerian Presidential Election wey go hold on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
Tori be say na one hunter find di bag wey dey full of PVCs for one forest inside Nnewi wia im bin dey hunt.
Di hunter carry di bag wey full wit PVC go Authority FM for Nnewi.
For inside di viral video, we see pipo gada round di PVC dey check for dia own.
Sorting out of the PVC’s found yesterday. Hopefully all owners will be given theirs before election. pic.twitter.com/nv57uKRO24
— jimmy (Hulk) – LP (@diisa2002) February 22, 2023
One eyewitness wey no wan make dem mention im name confam give BBC Igbo say one man wey say im be hunter carry di bag come di Authority FM office on di evening of Tuesday 21st February, 2023.
E say di man say im find di bag wey contain PVC for di field for Akammili Umudim for Nnewi town.
Dem later carry di bag of PVC to di palace of Eze Umudim on Wednesday 22 November, 2023.
One village chief of Nzukora and Nnewi, Oga Atueyi also tell BBC Igbo say true-true dem sabi about di PVC tori.
“We hear about am, I don call oda community leaders for Nnewi, and dem believe say di PVCs belong to dia community.
“Wetin we dey ask now na make dem give us di opportunity to distribute dis PVCs so e go reach dia owners because we know all di pipo wey dey our community.
“We dey work wit di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to see if dem go allow us to distribute am.”
Atueyi say many pipo from dia community bin go Inec office to collect dia PVC but dem no get am.
Di deadline for PVC collection ahead of di election don already pass. INEC bin set a deadline of February 5, for registered voters to pick up dia card.
But one fear wey bin dey constant for voters na how di attack on Inec offices across di kontri don affect di card collection process.
Offices of Inec don come under attack several times for different part of di kontri, especially for di south-eastern Nigeria.
Most of di attacks na by thugs and in some cases, armed men. Dem dey end up destroying di building and facilities of di commission.
In some cases dem dey attack Inec officials wey dey do dia work ahead of di election.
Wetin Inec tok?
As at di time of dis report, INEC neva comment on di mata.
Di BBC don also put a phone call through to di tok-tok pesin of INEC for Anambra state but e no dey reachable.
Dis no be di first time dem go see PVCs wey dem dump. For July 2022, reports comot say dem find PVCs for ground for Imo and Bayelsa State.
Inec tok dat time say dem go conduct investigation to find out wia di PVCs bin come from and who get dem.
Nigerians will go to di polls on Saturday 25 November 2023, to vote to elect a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari for anoda four years.
Police order investigation
Di police say dia command neva receive any report from di concerned authority, concerning video wey claim say one hunter find some PVCs for one forest for Nnewi.
For one statement signed by di PRO, Anambra State Police Command, Dsp Ikenga Tochukwu say dem don begin investigate di incident.
“Sake of dis, di Commissioner of Police CP Echeng Echeng don order investigations into di video to unravel di circumstances wey surround di incident and possibly arrest di suspects behind di act.”, Oga Tochukwu add am.
Why Permanent Voters Card dey important during election
PVC na Permanent Voters Card.
Dis na di identification wey registered voters dey cari go polling stations. Na di ID card for dem to fit vote during general elections for Nigeria.
E dey store and protect information about di holder like biometric data .
Dat na informate wey include physical features, thumbprints among odas.
Na card reader, dem fit use to get di informate wey di card dey hold.
