In preparation for the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission will commence the issuance of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), starting on Friday, October 9, 2026.
INEC therefore called for nationwide collections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who made the announcement on Monday in Abuja while speaking at a strategic workshop for editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the commission, disclosed that the national register of voters has risen to more than 103 million.
Amupitan said the latest figure followed the conclusion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and the completion of the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup.
He said the three phases of the CVR exercise produced 10,772,421 new registrations, subject to the ABIS verification.
According to him, the first phase, which ran from August 25 to December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations, while the second phase, conducted from January 5 to April 17, 2026, registered 4,121,835 voters.
The third phase, held between May 11 and July 26, 2026, recorded 3,867,997 new registrations.
The INEC chairman said the commission had completed the processing and distribution of Phase One PVCs to local government collection centres ahead of Friday’s nationwide exercise.
“More importantly, I am using this high-level forum of editors to officially remind the Nigerian public that the nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) will commence in exactly four days, on Friday, 9th October 2026,” Amupitan said.
He urged the media to inform registered voters about collection locations and encourage them to collect their cards ahead of the 2027 elections.
Amupitan said INEC had introduced online voter registration and printable PVC technology to reduce the difficulties associated with physical registration and prolonged waiting for voter cards.
He said the printable PVC technology, introduced pursuant to Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, was tested during the Osun governorship election and used to enable voters whose PVCs had been stolen to participate in the election.
The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission had commenced nationwide readiness assessments ahead of the elections, with physical audits and staff engagements already completed in the South-West and North-West geopolitical zones.
He said the assessments covered state office facilities, storage facilities, security arrangements and logistics deployment networks, adding that similar exercises would be conducted in the remaining four geopolitical zones.
On the 2027 election timetable, Amupitan said INEC had completed eight of the 14 major activities contained in the revised timetable issued on February 26, 2026, and was working towards completing the ninth.
He said the timetable had been translated into an operational plan covering INEC’s headquarters directorates, 36 state offices, the Federal Capital Territory and 774 local government areas.
Amupitan said early procurement and distribution of non-sensitive election materials had commenced, while new operational vehicles were being distributed to state offices and local government areas.
He warned electoral officials and temporary personnel against partisanship and administrative negligence, saying those found compromising their responsibilities would face disciplinary action.
On vote-buying, the INEC chairman said the commission would work with relevant government agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), to monitor campaign financing and financial inducement.
“Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” he said.
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC had acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices as part of efforts to improve accreditation during the elections.
He expressed concern over the spread of misinformation, disinformation, deepfakes and manipulated audio-visual materials ahead of the elections, urging editors to strengthen fact-checking and verification before publishing election-related information.
The INEC chairman further warned political parties and candidates against violence, thuggery and hate speech as campaigns intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) had activated an early-warning framework to monitor political violence, thuggery and inflammatory campaign rhetoric.
Amupitan said INEC would also work with the Nigerian Guild of Editors to establish a regular feedback mechanism, improve verification of electoral information and support the safety of journalists covering the elections.
In his opening remarks, NGE President, Eze Anaba, said the credibility of the electoral process depended partly on the quality of information available to citizens.
Anaba said the media had a responsibility to ensure accuracy, fairness, balance and public interest in its coverage of the 2027 elections.
He, however, said the media could not effectively perform that responsibility without credible, timely and accessible information from INEC.
He called for greater openness and regular engagement between the electoral commission and the media, particularly amid the spread of misinformation, disinformation, manipulated content and deepfakes.
The NGE president said the workshop should help INEC and the media identify weaknesses in their relationship and develop practical measures for improving electoral communication and reporting.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
