A group of hunters have discovered about 320 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in Bayelsa State.
The hunters, under the aegis of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Services, handed over the PVCs to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital.
Specifically, the PVCs were found at an uncompleted building along the AIT/Elebele Road in Yenagoa. This was disclosed by the Commandant of the association, Moses Okanu. He made this known while handing over the cards to INEC.
Equally important, he stated that the PVCs were recovered when his men were combing the bushes and forests on Tuesday around Asikoro and Elebele in the state. He revealed that the hunters were attracted by a noise in the forest; adding that upon approaching the uncompleted building, some unidentified occupants fled the facility.
“We have been combing the bushes in the nooks and crannies because of the happening we have been hearing in the bushes.
”We started from Azikoro and went through Elebele. In the course of our going round, we ran into an uncompleted building in the bush…We heard some noise. With our usual way of operation to ascertain those who were there; the people sighting us started to jump out of the windows of the uncompleted building.
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“So, we were able to penetrate into the building…What we saw was the abandoned voters’ cards.
So, knowing full well that these are Federal Government property and the only authority empowered or authorised by law to keep custody of these items is INEC, we have to recover them and decided to bring it to the Commission,” he stated.
While receiving the PVCs on behalf of the Resident Electoral Commission, Dr Alex Hart; INEC Administrative Secretary, Okop Umobong, said the commission will investigate the circumstances that led to the discovery of the cards in the forest. Additionally, he praised the hunters for their sense of patriotism in returning the cards to INEC.
Umobong added that investigations would determine whether the PVCs were abandoned in the process of printing or if belonged to genuine voters.
1st News reports that the development marks another disturbing discovery of PVCs; especially after thousands loaded in sacks were uncovered in a drainage system in Rivers State. The Rumuodara axis of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
