The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced October 9, 2026, as the date for the nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this in Kaduna during the commission’s North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff.
Amupitan said the PVCs were linked to voters registered during the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which produced more than 10.7 million new registrations.
He explained that the registration figures are still undergoing verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
A total of 10,772,421 new voters were registered during the three phases of the exercise.
The first phase, which took place between August 25 and December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations.
The second phase, conducted from January 5 to April 17, 2026, produced 4,121,835 registrations, while the third phase, held from May 11 to July 26, 2026, recorded 3,867,997 registrations.
Amupitan said the combined figure remains subject to the completion of the ABIS verification process.
The INEC chairman directed electoral officials to identify and resolve operational difficulties that could prevent eligible voters, particularly those in rural areas, from collecting their PVCs.
He also urged officials to maintain professionalism and political neutrality, noting that their conduct at local government areas, registration centres and polling units would influence public confidence in the elections.
INEC Warns Against Misinformation
Amupitan warned that poor administrative performance could create room for misinformation and further weaken trust in the electoral process.
“Today, a single malicious fake news post or deepfake can travel across millions of screens in seconds,” he said.
He stressed that weak execution could make false claims easier to believe, citing situations such as late opening of polling units, perceived bias by officials and poor communication during technical problems.
“The conduct, competence, and character of our staff in the field are either our strongest defence against fake news or its biggest catalyst,” Amupitan said.
He also reminded electoral officials and security personnel that neutrality is a requirement, not a matter of choice.
According to him, Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026 requires electoral officials and security personnel involved in elections to take an oath of loyalty and neutrality.
He said the oath requires them to carry out their responsibilities without favouring any candidate or political party.
Amupitan urged officials to base their decisions on the requirements of the law rather than considering which candidate or political group might benefit from them.
INEC Begins Preparations for 2027 Polls
The commission said preparations for the 2027 elections were progressing, with the statutory timetable already established.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Amupitan said the commission was working to address logistical and technical issues while also tackling concerns surrounding voter confidence, apathy and misinformation.
“With the Presidential and National Assembly Elections scheduled for Saturday, 16th January 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections set for Saturday, 6th February 2027, the statutory timeline is fixed and the clock is ticking,” he said.
He added that the commission must ensure that the standards achieved in recent electoral activities become consistent across future elections.
Amupitan identified public trust, voter apathy and the spread of misinformation and disinformation as some of the major challenges facing the commission ahead of 2027.
Earlier, the Supervising National Commissioner for Kaduna, Mohammed Haruna, said the zonal meetings were intended to strengthen engagement between INEC leadership and personnel working in the field.
The commission also appealed to traditional rulers to encourage eligible citizens to collect their PVCs when the exercise begins.
Registered voters will also be able to use INEC’s official platform to check the status of their PVCs and identify their designated collection centres.
