The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured residents of Osun State that the recent attack on one of its Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection centres will not undermine preparations for the August 15 governorship election, insisting that the poll will proceed as scheduled.

The assurance followed Sunday’s attack by armed men on INEC officials at the Oyinlola DC Primary School, Ward 2, in Odo-Otin Local Government Area, where PVCs were being distributed to registered voters.

The Osun State Police Command disclosed that about 10 suspected thugs invaded the centre during the exercise and carted away three packs of PVCs, prompting an ongoing investigation into the incident.

Reacting to the development, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the electoral body remained fully prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible election despite the security breach.

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Monday, Oketola stressed that the commission would not allow criminal elements to derail its electoral timetable.

“INEC cannot be distracted. We will conduct a free and fair election in Osun. That incident cannot distract us. The election will go on as planned, and we expect it to be free, fair and credible at the end of the day,” he said.

He noted that the matter had been reported to security agencies and expressed confidence that the police would arrest those responsible, recover the stolen PVCs and other electoral materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices reportedly taken during the attack.

“As a commission, we trust that the police will be diligent in their investigation, track those suspects, get them arrested and ensure they face the wrath of the law. We also trust that they’ll be able to recover our devices, including the BVAS that were reportedly carted away,” Oketola stated.

To reassure voters, the INEC spokesman revealed that the commission had configured 4,427 BVAS devices for the election, including 664 backup units, ensuring that any missing or damaged equipment would be promptly replaced without affecting the conduct of the poll.

He also disclosed that 97 Super Registration Area Centres (Super RACs) and 105 Registration Area Centres had been established across all local government areas of the state to support election logistics.

“Whatever was carted away will be replaced. Out of the 4,427 BVAS, we have 664 prepared as backups. There is no way whatever happened can disrupt our plans for the election,” he said.

Oketola further dismissed fears that the stolen PVCs could be used to manipulate the election, explaining that Nigeria’s biometric voter accreditation system prevents anyone from voting with another person’s card.

According to him, every voter must present a valid PVC and successfully undergo biometric verification before being accredited to vote, making the stolen cards effectively useless.

“Nobody can use another person’s PVC to vote in an election in Nigeria again. The era of ghost voters is gone. With BVAS, you must tender your PVC and undergo biometric authentication,” he said.

He added that the commission would ensure that no registered voter whose PVC was affected by the incident would be denied the opportunity to participate in the election.

“Whatever the commission will do to solve that problem will be done. I know the commission will leave no stone unturned to ensure that no registered voter in Osun is disenfranchised on election day,” Oketola assured.