The Peoples Democratic Party, in Imo State, is accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of appointing agents to carry out an illegal harvestation of the details of Permanent Voters Cards, PVC, of voters in the state.

The PDP, state Publicity Secretary, Collins Opurozor, made this known to newsmen in Owerri on Thursday, while commenting on Governor Hope Uzodimma’s plan for the Imo Social Benefit Number, an ongoing registration exercise in the state.

They said that the APC Imo Social Benefit Number was to manipulate the November 2023 gubernatorial elections in the state.

He added that “We have prepared a formal complaint to INEC, to take action. We are also considering legal action and we may hit the streets any moment from now.

“Two days ago, Imo people woke up to hear that Senator Uzodinma had dispatched appointees and agents of his government to all the polling units in the State to commence the illegal harvest of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) of eligible Imo voters. To hoodwink Imo people into releasing their PVCs, these agents of the rejected regime came up with a phoney scheme of issuing what they termed the “Imo State Social Benefit Number” to the people.

“According to their deceit, the Social Benefit Number would give the people a better life and save them from poverty and disease. With this barefaced lie, many people in Imo have now surrendered their PVCs and become victims of voter identity theft designed for the cloning of the PVCs and front-loading of the BVAS ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the State.

“It is important to highlight that this latest anti-democratic onslaught launched by the APC regime in Imo State to indulge in the treasonable compromise of the BVAS was brought about by the recent Supreme Court judgment on the Osun State governorship election, which upheld the BVAS as the primary source of voter accreditation data.

“Apart from taking hold of their Voter Identification Number (VIN), Imo people are further beguiled to submit their Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identity Number (NIN) to the agents of this infamous regime. With these highly sensitive details, the desperate regime of Senator Uzodinma can track the location of anyone in Imo State for arrest, harassment, intimidation, and possible elimination. Also, monies in their bank accounts have become completely unsafe.

“Gentlemen of the Press, the salient point to note is that the regime of Senator Uzodinma, which is the chief creator of rural poverty in Imo State, has at last weaponized and deployed poverty as an instrument for electoral fraud. Imo people are now promised food and medicine on the condition that they yield to electoral fraud by submitting their PVCs, their only tool for political emancipation.

“To bring home the situation in Imo State, an authoritative economic intelligence watchdog called “Classified” just last month, ranked Imo FIRST in the prevalence of rural poverty in the Southeast Region, and FIRST in Nigeria’s misery index. This is a result of the catastrophic failure of governance in the State and also a direct consequence of the willful and cruel diversion of the total of N206 Billion belonging to the local government system by the regime of Senator Uzodinma in the last forty months.”

“Imo PDP is deeply troubled by the Federal Government’s silence over Senator Uzodinma’s continued use of Imo State as a guinea pig for all anti-democratic and fascist experimentations. The enablers of Senator Uzodinma in Abuja should realize that the plot to deny the Imo people the right to choose their governor on November 11, 2023, will be an invitation to anarchy. To be clear, Imo under Senator Uzodinma has become a theatre of bloodshed and human rights abuses, and this must never be allowed to continue. Never again!

“Our Party, therefore, calls on the Inspector General of Police and Director General of the State Security Service to investigate the activities of Senator Uzodinma and to immediately apprehend and prosecute his appointees and agents who are involved in this massive harvest of PVCs, voter identity theft and plot to compromise the BVAS,” he said.