THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to introduce downloadable permanent voter cards (PVCs) for Nigerians who have misplaced or defaced their original voter cards.
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan disclosed this on Wednesday when the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, paid a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
News Point Nigeria reports that Amupitan said the initiative is part of ongoing efforts to modernise Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He explained that the downloadable PVC option would not be open to first-time registrants or those who have never collected a physical voter 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 said.
The INEC chairman added that affected voters must file a formal complaint at least 90 days before an election to allow sufficient time for processing replacement cards.
Amupitan also revealed that the commission plans to pilot the downloadable PVC system during the off-cycle governorship election in Osun State scheduled for August.
According to him, INEC is also finalising a broader technological innovation that will allow eligible citizens to complete voter registration entirely online without physically visiting INEC offices for 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,” Amupitan said.
“So hopefully in the next few days, we will be testing it as soon as the commission approves it.”
He further stated that these innovations are designed to reduce barriers to voter participation, eliminate feelings of disenfranchisement, and ensure that all eligible citizens can register and obtain voter cards seamlessly.
