By Ogblodo Janet (IT)
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has fixed October 9, 2026, for the commencement of nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday in Kaduna during the North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff and readiness assessment for the 2027 general election.
Amupitan said the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise, conducted in three phases, recorded 10,601,098 new registrations nationwide, subject to verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS.
He said the first phase, which ran from August 25 to December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations, while the second phase, from January 5 to April 17, 2026, recorded 4,121,835. The third phase, held from May 11 to July 26, 2026, recorded 3,867,997 registrations.
The INEC chairman directed electoral officials to eliminate bottlenecks associated with PVC distribution at the Local Government Area level to ensure eligible voters collect their cards without difficulty.
He also charged staff to remain neutral and professional, warning that poor administrative performance could fuel misinformation and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
