The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will begin on October 9. INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, made the announcement on Monday in Kaduna, at the North-West zonal meeting with staff and a readiness assessment for the 2027 general election. He said the recent voter registration exercise produced more than 10.7 million new registrations.
The numbers behind the announcement (what the registration drive produced)
The exact figure is 10,772,421 new registrations, recorded over three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. This is the ongoing programme that lets Nigerians register or update their voter details between elections. The commission said these registrations are still awaiting verification through its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). This is the system that checks fingerprints and other body data, so that no one is registered twice.
This point matters. Not every name counted in the 10.7 million is guaranteed a card, because verification is not yet complete. INEC also said the exercise brings the national register close to 100 million voters.
Where the real test lies (collection at local government level)
Amupitan said the focus has now moved from registration to distribution, especially at the Local Government Area (LGA) level, where new voters will pick up their cards. He warned that weaknesses in this process could stop registered voters from taking part in the 2027 elections.
He called on officials at state and local levels to remove bottlenecks. In plain terms, a bottleneck is any obstacle that slows the process, such as late delivery of cards, closed offices or long queues. He said that if eligible voters cannot collect their cards, they could effectively lose the chance to vote.
Other preparations announced (technology, logistics and staff conduct)
The chairman also spoke about the wider readiness for 2027. INEC is refining the technology used to verify voters and to send in results, including the recently introduced eEC8A. This is part of the Result Management System, the process of collecting and sharing election results. He also announced a “Zero-Failure” approach to logistics. This covers early delivery of materials, transport, security coordination and training of temporary staff.
He warned electoral officials against partisan conduct, meaning they must not favour any political party. The Kaduna meeting is one of INEC’s zonal readiness checks before the election.
A problem Nigeria has seen before (past cases of uncollected cards)
Card collection has always been a weak point. Ahead of the 2023 elections, INEC reported that 87,209,007 cards had been collected out of 93.47 million registered voters. That was 93.3 per cent. But 6,259,229 cards, or 6.7 per cent, were still uncollected only two days before the vote.
The problem is older than that. In 2022, an INEC National Commissioner said more than 11 million of the 84 million cards printed around the 2019 elections were never collected. The South-West had the highest number of uncollected cards, with over 3.4 million. In Kwara State, INEC also complained in 2022 about low turnout for collection. It said that of 46,602 new cards sent to the state, only 18,885 had been collected.
INEC’s own review of the 2023 elections said the low collection rate shows how hard it is to process and manage voters in Nigeria. A rumour that INEC planned to destroy uncollected cards also spread in 2025, and the commission denied it.
Why cards pile up unclaimed (causes of low collection)
Several reasons explain the pattern. Some people register and never return because they lack time, money for transport, or information about where to go. Offices may be far from where people live or work. Cards can arrive late or be delayed at local offices. Some people move to another city after registering. Others simply lose interest in politics.
There is also a technology factor. INEC has noted that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the device used to verify voters on election day, has made the physical card less central. Some voters may feel the card matters less, though that should not be taken as a reason to skip collection.
What is at stake for voters and the country (effects of getting it right or wrong)
For each voter, a card is the practical key to taking part on election day. A registered voter without a card risks being turned back. That is what “disenfranchised” means: being denied the right to vote through no fault of the law.
For the country, the effects are larger. Millions of new registrants are mostly young or first-time voters. If they cannot collect their cards, the numbers in the register will not turn into actual votes. That could lower turnout and weaken public confidence in the result. A smooth collection process, on the other hand, would strengthen trust in INEC before a major election.
Steps to make collection work (possible solutions)
INEC can publish clear lists of collection points and opening hours in every LGA and ward, and use radio, television and social media to spread them. It can extend collection hours and keep centres open on weekends. Where a card has not arrived, officials should tell voters honestly and quickly. Civil society groups and traditional rulers can help by reminding people to collect. Amupitan has already asked traditional institutions to support this effort.
Voters have a role too. Those who registered should check the notices, keep their registration slips and visit their LGA office early, rather than waiting for a last-minute rush.
A date on the calendar is only the beginning
We welcome the announcement. Naming a date gives voters and observers something to hold INEC to. The chairman was also right to admit that distribution is the real challenge.
But Nigeria has seen this before. In the past, the promise of collection was not the problem. Cards sat unclaimed and delivery slowed at local offices. So the real measure will be what happens after October 9. If cards reach the people who registered, this will be a good step towards the 2027 elections. If not, millions could again be left on the sidelines. INEC has made the promise, and it should now show the results openly.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
