PDP Accuses Gombe Govt Of Collecting Voters’ Cards, Bank Details For Empowerment

The Gombe State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of collecting sensitive personal information, including voters’ cards, bank account details and thumbprints from residents under the guise of enrolling beneficiaries for an empowerment programme.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Abdulkadir Ahmad Dukku, who expressed concern over what he described as the collection of citizens’ personal data as a condition for accessing government palliatives.

“The attention of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Gombe State has been drawn to information going round that the APC Government in the State under Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya is collecting personal details such as account number, voters card and thumb print from unsuspecting individuals in the name of disbursing palliatives to the people.

“The State chapter of the PDP expresses strong concern over the action of the ruling APC Government led by Governor Inuwa Yahaya, pointing out that if the state government genuinely wishes to disburse any kind of support it should be done freely, transparently, and without coercing citizens to surrender sensitive personal information.”

Dukku alleged that the programme was being funded with public resources and, therefore, should be accessible to eligible citizens irrespective of their political affiliation.

The PDP spokesman further argued that demanding voters’ cards and biometric information was unnecessary and could amount to profiling citizens.

He cited Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy, and urged residents to be cautious about surrendering their personal information to individuals collecting such data.

Dukku advised residents against giving out their personal details in exchange for empowerment materials, warning that voters’ cards would be crucial in the forthcoming elections.

Reacting to the allegation, the Gombe State APC Chairman dismissed the claim as fake. “Fake news,” he told LEADERSHIP.

The chairman, however, did not provide further details on the alleged collection of voters’ cards, bank account information and thumbprints, but maintained that the information was false and should be disregarded.