We Are Open to Voting Without Permanent Voters Card by 2027 - INEC 

By: Israel Adeleke

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission,(INEC) has announced that the body is open to allowing eligible Nigerians vote without Permanent Voter's Card, (PVC), in the up coming 2017 general election, provided the electoral law is amended to support the move.

OTN News further reports that the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi who made this known earlier this week, emphasized that while the commission is committed to expanding voter access through technology, any change must be aligned with legal provisions.

OTN News observes that this new planed follows comments made by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in December 2024 during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners, where Yakubu had suggested that the exclusive use of PVCs for accreditation should be reconsidered.

Yakubu is quoted to have said, “the commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed."

He noted that voters could, in the future, use slips generated by INEC or downloaded from its website for accreditation — a move that would cut costs, ease logistics, and curb voter card-related malpractice.

“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,” he added.

However, Oyekanmi clarified that INEC supports the idea, but stressed, “It is not our stand-alone that is important. Equally critical is what the subsisting law says… the law needs to be amended to reflect it.”

OTN News further observes that the proposal, if passed into law, could mark a major shift in Nigeria’s electoral process by making voter participation more accessible and technology-driven.