INEC ready to allow voting without PVC in 2027 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is open to allowing eligible Nigerians without Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to vote in the 2027 general elections, but cautioned that legislative amendments must back the proposal. This is according to Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in an interview on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Oyekanmi reiterated the electoral umpire’s commitment to expanding voter access through further technological integration but noted that legal provisions must first be updated to accommodate any proposed shift from the current PVC-only system. The INEC chairman first mooted the proposed shift during a quarterly consultative meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja in December 2024. ALSO READ: INEC wasted time before throwing out petition for my recall – Senator Natasha He highlighted the growing role of technology, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), in streamlining the electoral process. Yakubu said that while PVCs will remain valid for those who possess them, voters could, in the future, use slips generated by INEC or downloaded from its website for accreditation. He explained that the move would lower costs, ease logistical burdens, and curb the misuse of voter cards. “The commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed,” Yakubu noted. “Those who already have the PVCs can still use them to vote, but going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation. “This will not only save cost, it will also eliminate the issues around the collection of PVCs and the diabolical practice of buying up the cards from voters in order to disenfranchise them,” he explained. INEC ready to allow votes without PVCs Providing an update on the idea on Wednesday, Oyekanmi emphasised that corresponding legal amendments must support any changes to the voting procedure. “It is not our stand alone that is important. Equally critical is what the subsisting law says. While the commission is favourable disposed to the recommendation by stakeholders (that PVCs alone should not be the only criterion for voting at an election), the law needs to be amended to reflect it,” he said. ALSO READ: Recall process is more expensive than conducting a fresh election – INEC The proposal comes amid the National Assembly’s ongoing efforts to amend the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 election, to address concerns and plug the loopholes identified in the last general election. If passed into law, the proposal could mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s electoral process by deepening voter participation and making the process more accessible and technology-driven.