BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Friday, October 9, 2026, for the commencement of nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), as the country’s voter register climbs beyond 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced the date on Monday in Abuja during a strategic workshop for editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in partnership with the electoral commission.

Amupitan disclosed that the latest voter register followed the completion of the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and a final biometric clean-up aimed at identifying and removing duplicate or invalid records.

According to him, the three phases generated 10,772,421 fresh registrations, although the figures were subjected to verification through INEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System.

The first phase, conducted between August 25 and December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations. The second phase, which ran from January 5 to April 17, 2026, produced 4,121,835 registrations, while another 3,867,997 people registered during the third phase held from May 11 to July 26, 2026.

The INEC chairman said the commission had already completed the processing of PVCs from the first phase and delivered them to designated local government collection centres in preparation for the nationwide exercise.

He urged eligible voters who registered successfully to make plans to collect their cards, stressing that the media had a crucial role to play in informing citizens about collection centres and encouraging early collection before the 2027 polls.

Amupitan also highlighted new measures introduced by the commission to make voter registration and access to voter cards easier. These include online registration and printable PVC technology designed to reduce the challenges associated with physical registration and delays in obtaining replacement cards.

He explained that the printable PVC system, introduced under Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, was tested during the Osun governorship election and allowed voters whose cards had been stolen to obtain replacements and exercise their franchise.

Beyond voter registration, INEC said it had intensified preparations for the 2027 elections through nationwide readiness assessments. The commission has already carried out physical inspections and engagements with personnel in the South-West and North-West, focusing on office facilities, storage locations, security arrangements and logistics networks.

The remaining geopolitical zones are expected to undergo similar assessments as the commission continues preparations for the polls. Amupitan said eight of the 14 major activities contained in INEC’s revised election timetable had already been completed, with the commission working towards the ninth.

He added that the timetable had been converted into a detailed operational plan covering INEC headquarters, its 36 state offices, the Federal Capital Territory and all 774 local government areas.

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According to him, procurement and distribution of non-sensitive election materials had already begun, while newly acquired operational vehicles were being deployed to state and local government offices.

The commission also issued a warning to its officials and temporary election personnel against partisan conduct, negligence and other forms of misconduct, stressing that anyone found compromising the electoral process would face disciplinary action.

Amupitan further disclosed that INEC would intensify collaboration with agencies including the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to monitor campaign financing and attempts to influence voters with money.

“Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” he said.

To strengthen election-day accreditation, the commission has also acquired 57,000 additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, according to the INEC chairman.

Amupitan expressed concern about the growing use of misinformation, disinformation, deepfakes and manipulated audio-visual content, warning that such material could undermine public confidence in the electoral process. He called on editors and journalists to intensify fact-checking and verification before publishing election-related information.

He equally warned political parties and candidates against violence, thuggery and hate speech as political activities gather momentum ahead of the elections. The Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security has, he said, activated an early-warning system to identify and respond to potential threats of political violence and inflammatory rhetoric.

The commission is also seeking closer cooperation with the Nigerian Guild of Editors to improve the flow and verification of electoral information and enhance the safety of journalists assigned to cover the 2027 elections.

NGE President, Eze Anaba, said the credibility of the electoral process was closely linked to the quality of information reaching voters. He urged journalists to uphold accuracy, fairness, balance and public interest in their election coverage.

Anaba also called for greater openness and regular communication between INEC and the media, particularly at a time when manipulated content, misinformation and deepfakes are becoming increasingly difficult for the public to distinguish from genuine information.

With the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls set for February 6, INEC is expected to intensify its preparations in the coming months as millions of Nigerians move to secure their voting credentials ahead of the elections.