JUST-IN: PVCs No Longer Compulsory For Voting, Says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is contemplating the use of computer-generated voting slips for those without Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) during elections.

The INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated during the quarterly consultative meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Thursday in Abuja that PVCs should no longer be the sole requirement for voting, especially with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Yakubu said the commission, having released its 524-page main report on the 2023 general election, has consulted widely with its officials and major stakeholders on the development.

He noted that with the conclusion of five major off-cycle governorship elections and nine out of 21 bye-elections since the 2023 General Election, this is the most appropriate time for INEC to commence the implementation of recommendations arising from her review of the last General Election.

Mahmoud also revealed that from the internal and external engagements, the Commission has identified 142 recommendations dealing with the general state of preparedness, voter management, voter education and public communication, political parties and candidate management, electoral operations, and logistics management.

Others include election officials and personnel, partnership and collaboration, monitoring and supervision, election technology, voting and result management, election security, electoral offences, and the electoral legal framework.

He said that out of the 142 recommendations, 86 required administrative action by the Commission.

“This is followed by 48 recommendations that require action by a variety of stakeholders, including security agencies, mobile network operators, statutory bodies, political parties, transport unions, civil society organisations, and the media.

“On the legal review, there are eight recommendations that require legislative actions by the National Assembly. Very soon, the Commission will make a presentation to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters as they continue to deliberate on electoral reform.

“Among the major highlights of the Commission’s recommendations is the imperative of legal clarity in result management with regard to manual transfer versus the electronic transmission of results.

“The Commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed.

“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 costs; 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.

The commission also recommended early voting for journalists and other essential election workers.

“The review report also contains recommendations on early/special voting for the millions of Nigerians who do not vote at the moment on account of the roles they play during elections, such as INEC officials, security personnel, ad hoc staff, observers, and journalists who are deployed outside the places where they registered to vote.

“There are also recommendations in support of diaspora voting, the unbundling of the Commission with the establishment of an electoral offences tribunal, and a separate agency to handle the registration and regulation of political parties. Similarly, the Commission will step up action on voter access and distribution to polling units,” he added.

Yakubu also disclosed that the Commission urgently intends to develop protocols for the cleaning up of the voters’ register in collaboration with other agencies such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the National Population Commission (NPC).

Other areas of reform include advocacy for affirmative action for greater participation of under-represented groups and more robust voter education and public communication to combat fake news and misinformation.

“Furthermore, the Commission intends to review the mechanisms for a more effective implementation of agreements on logistics with the transport unions and other service providers by consolidating on the recent experience with early deployment and commencement of elections in the recent Ondo State Governorship election,” Prof. Yakubu added.