Claim: The last five-digit of the VIN makes you eligible to vote.
Verdict: FALSE. The PVC remains the only form of identification at an election, so any intending voter without a PVC will not be allowed to vote.
Full Text
As the deadline for Permanent Voter Card collection (PVC) draws near, information about it continues to spread, from where to collect PVCs to how they should be used on election day.
One such message is that the last five digits of a Voter Identification Number (VIN) can be used to vote. According to this message, this five-digit number makes you eligible to vote, thanks to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
The message directs readers to confirm their names on INEC’s CVR portal, and if found, they can simply note the last five digits of their VIN and use it to vote.
Many have come to believe this message by forwarding and sharing it on their WhatsApp status.
Owing to its virality and the likelihood of the message influencing voter decisions, DUBAWA deemed it necessary to verify.
Verification
According to part two of the INEC’s regulation and guidelines for the conduct of elections in 2022, voting on election day shall be by the Continuous Accreditation and Voting System (CAVS).
Any person who wants to vote must present his/her PVC to be verified using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) or as otherwise determined by the Commission.
The guideline further emphasised that a person shall only be allowed to vote at the Polling Unit where his/her name appears in the Register of Voters.
Also, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, debunked this message in a statement noting that its criteria for voting are fixed and firm.
“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to misleading and false messages being circulated by some individuals and groups informing voters that they do not need their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to vote, but only the last five digits of their Voter Identification Numbers (VINs).
“The PVC remains the only form of identification at an election. Any intending voter without a PVC will not be allowed to vote. The Commission’s policy revolves around NO PVC, NO VOTING,” the statement read.
Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 states that “a person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.”
Also, it is essential to note that the INEC BVAS system allows for voter authentication using fingerprint and facial recognition technology, not the numbers on the VIN.
Conclusion
Our findings show that although the link embedded in the viral message is that of INEC’s Continuous Voter Registration(CVR) portal, the assertion that the last five-digit number of the VIN can be used to vote because of the BVAS is false and misleading.
