The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced October 9, 2026, as the commencement date for the nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this in Kaduna during the commission’s North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff.
Amupitan said the PVCs were issued following three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which recorded 10,772,421 new registrations.
He, however, said the figure was still subject to verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which is currently being concluded.
The INEC chairman directed electoral officials to identify and resolve operational challenges that could prevent eligible voters from collecting their PVCs, particularly in rural communities.
He also charged officials to remain neutral and professional, stressing that their conduct at local government areas, registration area centres and polling units would play a major role in sustaining public confidence in the electoral process.
According to him, the first phase of the CVR, conducted between August 25 and December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations.
The second phase, held from January 5 to April 17, 2026, produced 4,121,835 registrations, while the third phase, which ran from May 11 to July 26, 2026, recorded 3,867,997 registrations.
Amupitan warned that administrative failures could create room for misinformation and further weaken public trust in the electoral process.
He said the spread of fake news and deepfakes could be worsened by lapses such as late opening of polling units, perceived bias by electoral officers and poor communication over technical challenges.
The INEC chairman stressed that neutrality was a fundamental requirement for electoral officials and security personnel participating in elections.
He cited Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires participating officials and security personnel to swear an oath of loyalty and neutrality.
According to him, the oath requires officials to conduct elections without favouring any candidate or political party.
Amupitan said officials should therefore be guided by the requirements of the law rather than by considerations of who might benefit from their decisions.
He said preparations for the 2027 general elections were gathering momentum, with INEC working to address logistical, technical and public-confidence challenges.
The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
Earlier, the Supervising National Commissioner for Kaduna, Mohammed Haruna, said the zonal interactive meetings were aimed at strengthening engagement between the commission’s leadership and field personnel as preparations for the elections intensify.
INEC also appealed to traditional rulers to encourage eligible citizens to collect their PVCs.
The commission said registered voters could use its official portal to check the status of their PVCs and identify their designated collection centres.
