INEC Begins Voter Register Display, PVC Distribution

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun displaying the preliminary register of voters and distributing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in parts of the country as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.

The seven-day exercise runs from Friday, October 9, to Thursday, October 15, 2026, giving registered voters the opportunity to verify their details, submit claims and objections, and collect cards issued during the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise conducted between August and December 2025.

In Plateau State, Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Sam Egwu, announced that the exercise would take place across all 207 Registration Areas between 9am and 3pm daily, including weekends.

In a statement released in Jos on Thursday, Egwu said the exercise was being conducted in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires INEC to display the voter register at least 90 days before a general election.

He urged registered voters to use the opportunity to check their names, photographs, dates of birth, polling units and other registration information, and to raise any necessary claims or objections within the stipulated period.

Egwu also confirmed that PVCs from the first phase of the CVR exercise, conducted between August 18 and December 10, 2025, would be available for collection during the exercise.

In Sokoto State, Resident Electoral Commissioner Umar Garba said the initiative formed part of the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

Speaking to journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre, Garba said INEC was committed to ensuring that eligible voters could confirm their registration details and obtain their PVCs.

However, he clarified that cards relating to lost or damaged PVCs, transfers, updates and registrations carried out during the second and third phases of the CVR exercise were not yet available for collection. He said the commission would announce when those cards were ready.

Garba added that after the display exercise ends on October 15, PVC distribution would continue at INEC offices across Sokoto State’s 23 local government areas. The arrangement, he said, would allow eligible voters who could not collect their cards at Registration Area centres to obtain them later.

On security, the Sokoto REC said the commission had continued to work with security agencies throughout the voter registration process, adding that their advice had contributed to a safe exercise without casualties.

He also disclosed that INEC was consulting security agencies to determine the number of internally displaced persons in Sokoto State and establish how they could participate in the 2027 elections.

According to Garba, the commission was working to facilitate voting for displaced persons living in officially recognised camps.

He said INEC would announce the total number of registered voters in Sokoto State at the appropriate time.