With the upcoming elections fast approaching, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate has leveled serious allegations against officials of the Ekiti State Government, accusing them of deliberately weaponizing administrative bureaucracy to suppress the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in opposition strongholds. ​
Speaking at a press conference at the party’s campaign headquarters on Monday, the candidate alleged that state actors, in collusion with local administrative elements, have created artificial barriers to frustrate eager voters trying to obtain their voter cards.
​According to the PDP flagbearer, several eligible voters, particularly youths and registered members of the opposition, have faced systematic delays, sudden closures of collection centers, and outright intimidation by individuals suspected to be working for the state government. ​”What we are witnessing in Ekiti today is a calculated attempt to subvert the democratic process,” the candidate stated.
“Our supporters are being turned away under the guise of ‘logistical challenges,’ while known sympathizers of the ruling party are given a seamless, red-carpet experience to collect theirs. This is state-sponsored voter suppression, plain and simple.”
​The candidate further claimed that certain local government officials have been confiscating or withholding PVCs to skew the voter turnout in favor of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). ​In response to the alleged irregularities, the PDP candidate called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately intervene and salvage the credibility of the exercise in Ekiti. ​
The campaign demanded an immediate independent investigation into the distribution process at the local government level and the deployment of neutral INEC monitors to areas flagged for high rates of uncollected PVCs. Campaign also demands an extension of the collection deadline in affected communities to ensure no eligible voter is disenfranchised.
​When contacted for a response, a spokesperson for the Ekiti State Government dismissed the allegations as “the desperate antics of a failing campaign.” The government maintained that it has no hand in the distribution of PVCs, emphasizing that the exercise is entirely under the purview of INEC. ​”The state government remains committed to a free, fair, and credible election.
The PDP should focus on campaigning rather than manufacturing conspiracy theories to justify their impending defeat,” the statement read. ​
As tension mounts in the state, civil society organizations and election observers have urged both sides to maintain peace, calling on INEC to ensure that every registered voter is given an equal opportunity to collect their card before the deadline.
