PVCs of 2026 registrants not available yet —INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for persons who registered between January 5 and July 26, 2026, are not yet available for collection, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported.

Professor Ayobami Salami, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lagos State, disclosed this at a news conference on Tuesday in Lagos on preparations for the 2027 General Elections.

Salami said the commission would announce the collection dates for the affected registrants through its official communication channels.

He urged eligible voters to collect their available PVCs promptly and safeguard them, noting that the cards remained essential for accreditation on Election Day.

“For clarity, PVCs are currently available for persons who registered between 25th August and 10th December, 2025, as well as those who registered between 2011 and 2022 but have yet to collect their cards, subject to the Commission’s records.

“However, PVCs for persons who registered between 5th January and 26th July, 2026 are not yet available.

“The collection of their cards will be announced through official channels in due course,” he said.

The REC said the distribution of PVCs commenced nationwide on October 9, with all 245 Registration Areas (RAs) in Lagos serving as collection centres across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

He said INEC Lagos had introduced a Quick Response (QR) code initiative to help voters identify designated PVC collection centres.

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Salami also urged registered voters to verify their details during the ongoing display of the Register of Voters, which commenced on October 9 and would end on October 15.

The REC said Lagos remained central to Nigeria’s electoral landscape, with 7,488,633 registered voters, which he described as the highest number in the country.

He said the state had 20 LGAs, 245 registration areas and 13,325 polling units, requiring extensive planning and coordination for the elections.

He added that the national register of voters stood at approximately 103 million, adding that the commission was advancing procurement and quality assurance for critical electoral infrastructure.

According to him, the infrastructure includes 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, information and communication technology facilities, storage facilities and improvements to electoral offices.

He said nationwide logistical preparations covered 176,846 polling units and 8,809 registration areas, supported by more than 100,000 vehicles and approximately 4,000 boats.