INEC to introduce downloadable PVCs ahead of 2027 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to introduce downloadable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for eligible voters who have lost or damaged their original cards.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday while receiving the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, during a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan said the initiative forms part of the commission’s ongoing efforts to modernise Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He explained that the downloadable PVC option would only be available to voters who had previously collected their physical PVCs but later lost them, had them defaced, or could no longer read the details on the cards.

“It is not every PVC that is downloadable. You must have gotten your PVC before and it must be that the PVC is lost, defaced or if you cannot read your numbers there,” he said.

According to the INEC chairman, affected voters will be required to report the loss or damage at least 90 days before an election to enable the commission process the replacement.

He revealed that the commission plans to pilot the downloadable PVC technology during the off-cycle Osun State governorship election scheduled for August.

Amupitan also disclosed that INEC is in the final stages of developing a system that will allow eligible Nigerians to complete their voter registration entirely online without visiting INEC offices for physical biometric capture.

“We have also been working on the technology that is going to make it possible for the registration of voters online without even having to visit INEC local government or registration areas. So hopefully in the next few days, we will be testing it as soon as the commission approves it,” he added.

He said the innovations are aimed at making voter registration and PVC replacement more accessible while reducing the risk of eligible voters being disenfranchised during elections.