THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday proposed a review of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) as the sole means of accreditation of eligible voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC also seeks reforms to improve the country’s electoral system, following lessons learnt from the 2023 general election and subsequent off-cycle polls.
Speaking during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website as sufficient means of accreditation.
“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,” Yakubu said.
“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.”
The INEC boss also said the electoral body would soon present its legislative proposals to the relevant committees in the Senate and House of Representatives.
He highlighted the commission’s vision to address long-standing challenges and modernise election management.
“With the conclusion of five major off-cycle Governorship elections and nine out of 21 bye-elections since the 2023 General Election, this is the most appropriate time for us to commence the implementation of the recommendations arising from our review of the General Election.
“From the internal and external engagements, the Commission has identified 142 recommendations dealing with the general state of preparedness, voter management, voter education and public communication, political parties and candidate management, electoral operations and logistics management, election officials and personnel, partnership and collaboration, monitoring and supervision, election technology, voting and result management, election security, electoral offences and the electoral legal framework,” the chairman said.
