Oshiomhole asks police to arrest PVC buyers

Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has asked the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the state to investigate and arrest desperate politicians, who are allegedly buying Permanent Voter Cards in the state.

The governor, who stated this when he received the new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Samuel Adegbuyi, said the politicians were engaging in the act in order to disenfranchise the voters in the general elections.

He said that he had heard reports about “some desperate politicians” buying PVC’s from people, particularly villagers, for as much as N5, 000.

“I am trying to understand what anybody can do with this; it is not clear. Somebody called me this morning to say that two persons came to him to complain that they gave them N5, 000 in lieu of their PVC, saying they were going to keep it for them and then they destroyed the PVC in their presence,” he told the new CP.

ADVERTISEMENT

Oshiomhole said he was worried that “some people want to disenfranchise some persons by paying them to surrender their PVC.”

He, however, urged the police to use their constitutional power to rid the state of such acts.

The governor said, “There is no pretending to the fact that you are assuming duty at a very critical period. Even at that, I think your predecessor and his officers worked so hard and so efficiently that we have not had the kind of crisis which some states have witnessed in the course of electioneering before the recent postponement.

“I believe the police have been fair in providing security for all those who have stepped forward to market themselves and that has gone a long way in ensuring that we have not recorded any negative incident.”

Adegbuyi assured the governor and the people of Edo State that the command would continue to work hard towards peace, security and unity of the state, in collaboration with other sister agencies.

He called for more cooperation from the state government towards a successful fight against crime.

“I and my officers will do everything humanly possible to continue with the peace, the crime control and management already in place,” he said.