The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will begin nationwide distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) on October 9, 2026.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, announced this on Monday in Kaduna during the Northwest Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan said the recent voter registration exercise added about 10.7 million new voters to the register.
He called for the removal of bottlenecks affecting PVC distribution at the local government level to ensure eligible citizens do not lose their right to vote.
Similarly, he said INEC was upgrading its technology systems, including voter verification and result transmission processes, as well as its Result Management Systems, such as the recently unveiled eEC8A.
He added that the commission was implementing a “Zero-Failure” logistics strategy covering early deployment of election materials, transportation, security coordination and training of ad hoc personnel.
The commission advised newly registered voters, as well as those who requested transfers or replacements for lost or damaged cards, to take their temporary voter cards or registration documents to designated collection centres. Voters can also use the commission’s official voter portal to locate collection centres and track the status of their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
The development comes as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 election, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the governorship and state assembly elections set for February 6, 2027.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) early to avoid last-minute difficulties.
Backstory…
The exercise began in August 2025 and was conducted in three phases, covering new voter registration, transfers, and other updates to the voter register.
INEC’s original timetable scheduled the process to end in July 2026, but the commission later extended the registration period by two weeks following feedback from its state offices, political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
The final phase eventually ran until August 17, 2026, followed by a period for claims and objections to the preliminary register from August 24 to 30. INEC has now moved to the next stage — getting the newly issued cards into the hands of registered voters.
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