Fake Policemen Seize PVCs From Owners in Lagos State

Individuals posing as police men now seize Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from people probably with the intention to disenfranchise them. The people reported to be at the receiving end are commercial motorcyclists aka okada riders, mostly of northern extraction in Lagos State.

The ploy employed by these fake policemen is to pose as security operatives enforcing the ban on okada on some major streets in the state.

The fake policemen after collecting motorcycles from their riders by force, would then ask the riders to bail themselves by submitting their PVCs. The fake plain clothes policemen would thereafter release the motorcycles without returning the PVCs.

INEC extends PVCs collection deadline

The Independent National Electoral Commission have extended the deadline for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards from March 8 to March 22.

The commission, in a  statement on Sunday   by the Chief Press Secretary to its Chairman, Kayode Idowu, said “the latest extension offers the last opportunity for registered persons to collect their PVCs before the March 28 and April 11 general elections.”

“INEC hereby calls on registered persons that are yet to collect their PVCs to use this last opportunity in doing so, in order to participate in the forthcoming general elections,” Idowu added.

The commission had last Wednesday said that it had succeeded in distributing 80.24 per cent of the PVCs to their owners.

The figure indicated that 55,232,874 out of the 68,833,476 registered voters had picked their cards .

Out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Ogun State is the only state that had yet to reach 50 per cent PVCs collection.

APC to drag First Lady, Patience Jonathan to ICC

 The presidential campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress has concluded plans to report the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, to the International Criminal Court.

Two weeks ago, Patience had, while campaigning for her husband in Calabar, Cross River State, told the supporters of the PDP to stone anyone canvassing for change in the state.

The campaign organisation said the letter of complaint was signed by its Director-General, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who is the Governor of River State.

It said that the letter would be delivered to ICC on Monday (today), adding that the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, and the National Human Rights Commission would also be sent copies of the letter.

They alleged that she is clearly calling on the PDP supporters in Calabar to attack supporters and campaigners of the APC in the state.

The campaign organisation likened some of Patient’s statements to those of Simone, the wife of a former President of Cote d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo, prior to the francophone country’s 2010 elections.

The ICC indicted Mrs. Gbagbo for her part in planning to perpetrate brutal attacks, including murder, rape, and sexual violence, on her husband’s political opponents in the wake of the 2010 elections.

According to them, Patience Jonathan’s incontrovertible hate speech not only contravened the laws of the land, but also went completely against the Abuja peace accord jointly signed by all the presidential candidates, a gesture which is aimed at forestalling violence before, during and after the 2015 elections.