Journalist Sues INEC Over Missing PVC, Demands N500m

A journalist with an online news platform, Swift Reporters, Adewole Kehinde, has decided to sue the Independent National Electoral Commission over the denial of access to his voter card.

Printouts and text messages exchanged with the commission’s official sighted by our correspondent show that Kehinde, a publisher with the news agency, transferred his voter registration from Area 11 to Nyanga, Abuja following his relocation to his new residence.

After many visits to the INEC office, he was, however, told that his card could not be found as seen on one of the printouts.

“I transferred my Permanent Voters Card in July 2022 from Area 11 by Area 3 junction to my new residence in Nyanya.

“I checked online to confirm that my card was successfully transferred to Nyanya as can be seen on the INEC Website. On getting to INEC Office in Karu under AMAC.

“My slip was collected and after waiting for 3 hours, I was told my card cannot be found. I filled out a form and was told to come back in two weeks.

“For exactly two weeks, the same message of NOT SEEN was as I was told. Today, Saturday, 4th February 2023 makes it the 7th time I have visited INEC offices to get my PVC but NOT SEEN is what they keep writing on my slip.

“I called the attention of Festus Okoye of INEC to it and he promised to check and get back to me and up till this moment, I have not heard from him.

“Since INEC wants to deny me my fundamental right to vote, I don’t have a choice but to sue them for N500 million even though my single vote is far above the N500 million.

“There are thousands of Nigerians that have come to me to indicate interest in joining in the suit against INEC, and hopefully by Monday, 7th February, my Lawyer will serve INEC.

“It is either INEC will print my PVC before February 25th, 2023 or the court will stop the election until my PVC is printed and handed over to me.

“INEC cannot just deny my vote and I can’t vote with the old PVC since it has been transferred to Nyanya, ” Adewole said.