2023: INEC Devolves PVC Collection To Wards, Registration Areas

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has devolved permanent voter cards (PVCs’) collection to registration areas and wards across the 774 local government offices throughout the federation.

INEC national commissioner and chairman for information and voter education committee, Festus Okoye, who disclosed in a statement yesterday in Abuja said all validly registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs should seize the opportunity of devolution to the wards to do so.

Okoye said after 15th January, 2023, the exercise will revert to the local government offices of the commission till 22nd January, 2023.

He said all eligible and valid registrants can collect their PVCs from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.

Okoye said INEC also resolved to devolve PVCs collection to the 8,809 registration areas/wards from Friday, 6th to Sunday, 15th January, 2023.

He said all those that applied for the replacement of lost, damaged, or defaced PVCs can collect their PVCs at the registration areas/wards during this period and the same thing applies to those that registered prior to the 2019 general election and are yet to collect their cards.

The statement reads in part: “The PVCs of those that applied for transfer are available for collection in the Local Governments and Registration Areas where they intend to vote and not in the State or Local Government where they carried out the transfer.

“The commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians who trooped to our various local government offices to collect their PVCs.

“In making the cards available for collection, the commission is also working to ensure that the process is simple and hitch-free for Nigerians.”

INEC held a retreat in Lagos with all the administrative secretaries and resident electoral commissioners (RECs) from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from 28th November to 2nd December, 2022.