Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed willingness to allow eligible Nigerians without Permanent Voter Cards to vote in the 2027 general elections, but insists that such a move must be backed by legislative amendments.
According to Punch, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said on Wednesday that the commission was committed to expanding voter access through technology, but emphasised that legal provisions must first be amended to accommodate any shift from the current PVC-only system.
This is in line with remarks by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in December 2024 at a quarterly consultative meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) in Abuja, where he highlighted the growing role of technology, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAM), in streamlining the electoral process.
He noted that while PVCs will remain valid for those who possess them, future elections could allow voters to use slips generated by INEC or downloaded from its official website for accreditation.
This shift, he said, would lower costs, ease logistical burdens, and curb the misuse of voter cards.
Yakubu explained: “The commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed.
“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.”