Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to introduce “downloadable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)” for voters who have misplaced or defaced their original cards.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this when he received the Director-General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja yesterday
He explained that the new technology was part of ongoing efforts to modernise Nigeria’s electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the downloadable PVC option will not be automatic or open to firm-time registrants who have never collected a physical card.
“It is not every PVC that is downloadable. You must have gotten your PVC before and it must be that the PVC is lost, defaced or if you cannot read your numbers there.”
He further stated that affected voters must formally lodge a complaint at least 90 days before an election to enable the commission to process the replacement.
Amupitan said that the commission would pilot the downloadable PVC technology during the off-cycle Osun governorship election in August.
He also disclosed that INEC was finalising work on a technology that would allow eligible citizens to complete their voter registration entirely online without visiting INEC offices for physical biometric capture.
“We have also been working on the technology that is going to make it possible for the registration of voters online without even having to visit INEC local government or registration areas.
“So hopefully in the next few days, we will be testing it as soon as the commission approves it.”
Amupitan said those advancements were aimed at eliminating the feeling of disenfranchisement among citizens and ensuring that everyone who desired to register could do so seamlessly.
However, he said that no matter the sophistication of the technology and logistics deployed during elections, it will be impossible to achieve credible polls if the citizens remained detached, uninformed, cynical or completely uneducated about the power of their votes.
He said the commission can purchase the most sophisticated Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, raise the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to international standards and map out the most logistical routes for material deployment, but the technological and administrative triumphs will mean nothing without the reorientation of the voters.
Amupitan, while lamenting the negative effects of disinformation in the conduct of elections, dismissed the insinuations that the commission warehoused over 400,000 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to favour a particular party during the recent Ekiti State off-cycle governorship election.
“When we look at the landscape of our nation today as we prepare for the 2027 general elections, it becomes immediately clear that INEC cannot build a robust democracy in isolation.”
“We can purchase the finest BVAS machines, we can optimise the IReV Portal to international standards, and we can map out the most logistical routes for material deployment. But all of these technological and administrative triumphs mean nothing if the citizens remain detached, uniform, cynical, or completely uneducated about the power of their votes,” he quipped.
Appealing to the agency for assistance, he said: “This is where the NOA comes in. While INEC is the umpire that sets up the field and manages the game, the NOA is the custodian of the values that make the players and the spectators respect the rules.
“You speak the languages of our people, you understand their local fears, and you know how to navigate the cultural nuances that shape public opinion. We still need to let the people know there are so many things you can do online in relation to your registration and even guides to voting.
“We have an app that you can use to even locate your polling unit before the day of the election so that you don’t need to begin to roam about looking for your polling units. It is a loud agnostic signal that far more needs to be done in the area of voters’ education.”
He dismissed the speculation of sharing PVCs to favour APC, explaining: “Even in the last election, you noticed a video that was going around saying that INEC had warehoused over 400,000 PVCs for a particular political party and they were sharing and distributing it.”
“But under close and comprehensive scrutiny, it was discovered that what was being shared were party’s membership cards. But somebody decided to sit in the comfort of his room to just come up with that type of mischief that is aimed at eroding people’s vote.
“People that were ready to go and vote were saying we better sit down, our vote will not count. So, that is part of the danger that it poses. Together, INEC and NOA must rewrite this narrative. I don’t know what strategy you are going to put in place, but from the person who gave a little background about you, you are a communication strategist. It is something that we probably need to work on and see how we correct this,” he said.
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