THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately publish a clear nationwide timetable for the production, distribution and collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), warning that no Nigerian who has successfully completed the voter registration process should be disenfranchised because of administrative delays.
News Point Nigeria reports that the party said millions of Nigerians who participated in the voter registration exercise deserve certainty about when and where their PVCs will be available, stressing that registering citizens to vote without ensuring that they can obtain the cards required to exercise that constitutional right could undermine confidence in the electoral process.
The call was contained in a statement signed by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday, in which the party warned INEC against allowing administrative and logistical challenges surrounding PVC production and distribution to become a barrier to citizens’ participation in the forthcoming general election.
“You cannot register Nigerians to vote and then make them run from office to office searching for the card that enables them to exercise that right. Registration without access to a PVC is disenfranchisement by another route,” the ADC said.
The party specifically asked INEC to publish, state by state, the number of newly registered voters, the number of PVCs produced, the number already distributed, the outstanding cards yet to be made available and the designated centres where registered voters would be able to collect their cards.
It said such disclosure would provide citizens with the certainty they need and also allow stakeholders to monitor the process and identify gaps before they become a major electoral problem.
According to the ADC, INEC must go beyond simply producing the cards and intensify its public information campaigns so that registered voters are adequately informed about the status of their PVCs, collection arrangements and designated centres. The party also urged the electoral commission to decentralise PVC collection wherever practicable, arguing that distance, bureaucracy and poor communication should not become barriers to eligible Nigerians seeking to exercise their right to vote.
“With the general election approaching, Nigerians should not be left wondering whether their cards will arrive in time. This is not a logistical footnote. It goes to the heart of the credibility of the election itself,” the party said.
The ADC said its concern was not limited to the administrative process itself but extended to the credibility and legitimacy of the election. It argued that a voter who has completed the registration process but is unable to obtain a PVC because of delays or inadequate collection arrangements could effectively be denied the opportunity to participate, despite having fulfilled the requirements placed before them by the electoral system.
The party also announced that it would mobilise its structures across the country to monitor the distribution of PVCs and document complaints from registered voters who are unable to obtain their cards. Through its nationwide structures, the ADC said it would pay attention to cases where registered voters encounter difficulties and ensure that such complaints are properly documented.
“We do not want an election-eve scramble, excuses or emergency promises. INEC has the opportunity to resolve this matter now, transparently and comprehensively,” the ADC said.
The party maintained that the issue should be addressed well ahead of the election rather than waiting until the final days before voting, when logistical problems could become more difficult to resolve and millions of voters could be left uncertain about whether they would be able to participate.
“Every PVC that remains unnecessarily unavailable represents a citizen whose constitutional voice is at risk of being silenced. That must not be allowed to happen,” the party said.
The ADC’s position places renewed focus on the relationship between voter registration and access to the physical voting credentials required under Nigeria’s electoral system, with the party insisting that the completion of registration should translate into a realistic and accessible opportunity for every eligible voter to participate in the election.
It further argued that transparency in the production and distribution process would help prevent confusion, reduce unnecessary movement by registered voters and give Nigerians enough time to resolve problems before election day. For the ADC, the timely availability of PVCs is therefore not merely a technical or logistical matter but an important component of public confidence in the electoral process and the credibility of the election itself.