INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan
Collection of the newly printed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will commence nationwide on October 9, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.
Disclosing this in Kaduna State during the North-West Zonal interactive meeting on the agency’s readiness for the election, the Supervising National Commissioner for Kaduna, Mohammed Haruna, said the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had also informed the Emir of Zazzau during a courtesy visit of the collection schedule.
He appealed to traditional rulers to encourage eligible citizens to collect their PVCs and exercise their constitutional right to vote.
According to him, administrative lapses, including late opening of polling units, perceived biases by officials and poor response to technical problems, could undermine public confidence and provide room for disinformation.
Amupitan said the Kaduna meeting was part of a six-zone interactive meeting and readiness assessment tour ahead of the elections, noting that the performance at previous elections had raised expectations for the 2027 polls, which would be conducted simultaneously across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Earlier, the Director of Planning and Monitoring, Helen Ajayi, explained that the zonal exercise was aimed at assessing states’ preparedness, identifying operational challenges before the elections, and ensuring that staff across the zone remained aligned with the commission’s code of conduct.
