INEC Begins PVC Distribution for 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) begins distributing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) nationwide on Friday to Nigerians who registered during its first phase of voter registration between August and December 2025.

The exercise is part of preparations for the 2027 general elections and will run alongside the display of the preliminary register of voters from 9th to 15th of October.

INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan announced the development at the 10th annual conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers in Lagos on Thursday.

He was represented by the Lagos Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ayobami Salami.

“Nationwide PVC collection will officially commence tomorrow, Friday, 9 October 2026,” Salami said.

Amupitan said the commission registered 10,772,421 new voters during the three phases of its Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

“Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which captured over 10.6 million new applicants, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup,” he said.

“Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” he added.

During the seven-day exercise, registered voters can check their names, photographs, dates of birth and polling unit details.

They can also report errors or raise objections through the commission’s prescribed channels.

INEC has introduced printable PVC technology to reduce waiting time and make replacing lost or stolen cards easier.

The commission said cards available during this exercise are for people who registered in the first phase, conducted from 18th August to 10 December, 2025.

Cards relating to later registration phases, transfers, updates and damaged or lost cards are not yet ready for collection.

INEC urged eligible voters to collect their cards and verify their details ahead of the elections.

The commission has also acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines to strengthen preparations for the 2027 polls.