The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports suggesting plans to destroy uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). In a statement released on Sunday, the Commission described the claims as false and urged the public to disregard them.
“Our attention has been drawn to a newspaper report that the Commission is contemplating the destruction of over six million uncollected Permanent Voter 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 statement read.
In December 2024, INEC proposed using computer-generated slips for voter accreditation during elections, citing advancements in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). The Commission’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, announced that recommendations for electoral reform would soon be presented to the National Assembly. Yakubu emphasized the need for a review of PVCs as the sole means of voter identification on election day.
Before the 2023 presidential election, INEC reported that 87,209,007 PVCs had been collected, accounting for 93.3 percent of the 93,469,008 registered voters. However, 6,259,229 PVCs, representing 6.7 percent, remained uncollected.