The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked claims that it plans to destroy over six million uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), describing the report as false and urging the public to disregard it.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the electoral body clarified that it never considered destroying uncollected PVCs from previous voter registrations.
“Our attention has been drawn to a newspaper report that the Commission is contemplating the destruction of over six million uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) going back to the 2015 voter registration,” INEC said. “The report is incorrect. At no time did the Commission contemplate the destruction of uncollected PVCs.”
The clarification comes as the commission continues to explore ways to improve voter accreditation. In December 2024, INEC proposed introducing computer-generated slips to complement the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as a means of voter identification on election day.
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INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said the commission would soon present its recommendations for electoral reform to the National Assembly.
During the 2023 presidential election, INEC reported that 87.2 million PVCs had been collected across the country, representing 93.3 percent of registered voters. However, 6.26 million PVCs—accounting for 6.7 percent—remained uncollected.
The commission reiterated that uncollected PVCs would be safely kept and made available to voters during future elections.
