The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refuted a claim published in the media suggesting that it had finalized plans to dispose of more than six million uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
In a statement released on its X handle on Sunday, INEC asserted that the report was inaccurate.
The commission encouraged Nigerians to disregard the rumours, emphasizing that it has never made such a decision.
“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 on its official X handle.
In anticipation of upcoming national elections, INEC has recently suggested implementing computer-generated voting slips for individuals lacking PVCs.
During a quarterly consultative meeting with Residents Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja last month, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, stated that PVCs should not be the only prerequisite for voting, particularly with the rollout of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Yakubu mentioned that the commission, having published its comprehensive 524-page report on the 2023 general election, has extensively consulted with its officials and significant external stakeholders.
“The Commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS, the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards PVC as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed.
“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, 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 had said.
Naija News understands that during the review process, a stakeholder suggested that the Commission should initiate actions to retract PVCs that have been issued since 2015 but have not yet been collected by their respective owners.
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