The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked claims made in a national newspaper alleging that the commission had concluded plans to destroy over six million uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
In a statement released via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday, INEC described the report as false and urged the public to disregard it.
“Our attention has been drawn to a newspaper report that the Commission is contemplating the destruction of over six million uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) going back to the 2015 voter registration. The report is incorrect. At no time did the Commission contemplate the destruction of uncollected PVCs. The public is advised to discountenance the story,” the commission stated.
INEC recently proposed changes to the voting process in Nigeria to address issues surrounding PVC collection and usage. During a quarterly consultative meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja last month, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, suggested that the Permanent Voter Cards should no longer be the sole requirement for voter accreditation.
Yakubu highlighted the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as a transformative technology that could redefine voter identification. He proposed that computer-generated voting slips—either issued directly to voters or downloaded from the Commission’s website—could be used as an alternative to PVCs.
“Those who already have the PVCs can still use them to vote, but going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation. This will not only save cost, but it will also eliminate the issues around the collection of PVCs and the diabolical practice of buying up the cards from voters in order to disenfranchise them,” Yakubu explained.
In its review of the 2023 general elections, documented in a comprehensive 524-page report, INEC engaged with both internal officials and external stakeholders. One recommendation from these consultations was to consider withdrawing PVCs issued since 2015 that remain uncollected.
While INEC has yet to make any decisions on this recommendation, the commission reiterated its commitment to transparency and voter inclusivity as it continues to refine electoral processes ahead of future elections.
The commission encouraged the public to rely on official channels for accurate information and to disregard unverified reports.
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