INEC Directs Officials to Close Operational Gaps as PVC Collection Begins October 9

The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that the nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards will commence on October 9, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Kaduna during the North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff and readiness assessment for the 2027 polls.

The engagement is part of INEC’s six-zone national tour to assess its preparedness, identify challenges affecting field operations and develop solutions ahead of the elections.

Amupitan directed officials to close operational gaps and strengthen neutrality, stressing that the success of an election depends largely on activities at the grassroots.

“The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is decided in the field,” he said.

The INEC chairman revealed that three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced 10,772,421 new registrations, subject to verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System.

He called for the elimination of PVC distribution bottlenecks at the Local Government Area level to prevent the disenfranchisement of eligible citizens.

Amupitan warned electoral officials against partisan conduct and administrative negligence, saying the neutrality and professionalism of field personnel would be critical to public confidence in the electoral process.

He said INEC is refining its technological systems, including voter verification and result transmission processes, as well as its Result Management Systems, including the recently introduced eEC8A.

The commission is also implementing a “Zero-Failure” approach to logistics, covering early deployment of materials, movement, security coordination and training of ad-hoc personnel.

Supervising National Commissioner for Kaduna, Kudu Haruna, said the Kaduna leg of the exercise began with a courtesy visit by Amupitan to the Emir of Zazzau and Chairman of the Kaduna State Council of Traditional Rulers.

During the visit, Amupitan briefed the Emir on the commission’s preparations and sought the support of traditional institutions in encouraging eligible citizens to collect their PVCs and vote.

INEC has said the national voter register is nearing 100 million registered voters, and the commission’s portal allows registered voters to check the status of their PVCs and find their designated collection centres.