Key Takeaways
- INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, says most PVCs for newly registered voters are printed abroad — appeals for patience from those who registered in third phase of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
- INEC attributes delay in distributing 2.9 million PVCs to overseas production due to specialised security specifications and high-volume printing requirements exceeding local capacity — distribution to states to begin next week.
- INEC has removed 1,609,553 invalid and deceased records from voter register, including 873 deceased voters, and flagged 54 staff for possible prosecution — distribution of Phase 1 and 2 PVCs and transferred PVCs ongoing at LGAs, to return to Registration Areas from December 1, 2026.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has said that most Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for newly registered voters are printed abroad, and has appealed to Nigerians to be patient over delay in distribution.
Amupitan disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while responding to concerns from Nigerians who participated in the third phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise but are yet to receive their PVCs.
According to Sahara Reporters, Amupitan attributed the delay in issuing PVCs to millions of newly registered voters to the fact that the cards are being produced outside Nigeria due to specialised security specifications and high-volume printing requirements that exceed local capacity.
“We appeal to those that registered in the third phase to be a little bit patient since the production is done outside the country,” Amupitan said.
He disclosed that the commission will begin delivery of 2.9 million PVCs to states next week, with distribution of Phase 1 and 2 PVCs and transferred PVCs currently ongoing at various Local Government Areas in Nigeria.
“Meanwhile as from 1st December 2026, distribution will go back to the Registration Areas all over Nigeria,” he added.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on the display and publication of the preliminary voters’ register, the INEC Chairman also disclosed that the commission has successfully removed 1,609,553 invalid and deceased records from the system.
The clean-up included 873 deceased voters, while 54 staff were flagged for possible prosecution over infractions in the registration process.
The national register of voters has now risen to more than 103 million after three phases of CVR, which produced 10,772,421 new applications — 2,611,266 between August 25 and December 10, 2025; 4,121,835 between January 5 and April 17, 2026; and 3,867,997 in the third phase.
Amupitan said the exercise is part of efforts to strengthen the credibility and integrity of the electoral process ahead of the January 16, 2027 general elections.
The INEC Chairman appealed for calm, urging newly registered voters to collect their PVCs personally when distribution begins, and to disregard misinformation about the process.
