INEC To Begin Distribution of 77,015 New PVCs Across Oyo Wards on October 9

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo State has announced it will commence the distribution of the first batch of 77,015 newly printed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) across all 351 Registration Areas and Wards in the state.

The seven-day exercise is scheduled to hold from Friday, October 9, to Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily, including weekends, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Professor Adeniran Rahmon Tella, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ibadan, noting that the exercise would also include the collection of unclaimed old PVCs printed for the 2023 general election.

According to the REC, the cards are for newly registered voters, those who lost their cards, those who applied for the transfer of polling units, and those whose PVCs were damaged or defaced during the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

He urged the public to disregard online information suggesting that the CVR is still ongoing, clarifying that the exercise closed on July 26, 2026.

Tella explained that after the initial seven-day ward-level exercise, collection would continue at the 33 INEC Local Government Area offices across the state at the same time daily.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Oyo State is to commence the distribution and collection of the newly printed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)’ first batch of 77,015 across the 351 Registration Areas/Wards to eligible registrants for a seven-day period as from Friday 9th to Thursday, 15th Oct. 2026 ahead of the preparations towards the conduct of 2027 General Elections in the State. The exercise is expected to take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily including weekends,” the statement read.

The commission emphasized that collection of the PVCs would be strictly personal and not by proxy, adding that adequate arrangements had been made with security agencies to ensure the exercise remains transparent, orderly and peaceful.

Tella also disclosed that the commission still has a large number of uncollected old PVCs from the 2023 general election in its custody, advising owners to use the window period to collect them.

He assured that the commission is expecting more batches of newly printed PVCs in the state and enjoined the electorate and stakeholders to take advantage of the exercise ahead of the forthcoming general elections.