The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has again assured electorate in Ekiti State that their votes will count in the forthcoming general election.
It also raised the alarm that a total of 256,648 registered voters are yet to claim their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Ekiti out of a total register voters of 921, 027 in the state.
The electoral body, which expressed its readiness for the February and March 2019 polls, said there is no place for the manipulation of devices and electoral materials.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Prof Abduganiy Raji spoke yesterday in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, during a election stakeholders meeting at the INEC headquarters.
The stakeholders include: political parties under the aegis of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Joint National Association of People Living With Disabilities (JONADIP) and religious bodies.
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Raji who allayed the fears in some quarters that some desperate politicians are allegedly collecting people’s PVCs for cloning, said the commission has fortified and enhanced all its electoral devices against such.
He said, “Those doing that will end up being disappointed. Our database cannot be hacked by anybody, because our ICT network was customized and encoded such that they cannot be hacked.
“Even our workers who are working in the ICT have limitations, there is a limit to which they can go. In clear terms, the cloned PVCs can’t work with our smart card readers.
“We heard people are selling their PVCs, this would not help anybody. But how can people be selling their future? Even if you are given a sum of N20,000, would that be enough to take you throughout four years? So, our people must stop selling their future,” he advised.
The commission , however, revealed that no fewer than 664, 379 PVCs have been distributed and are eligible to vote in the February 16 and March 2, presidential and National Assembly elections as well governorship and State Assembly polls respectively.
