• Smart Card No Longer Required on Election Day

Further to clarifications that the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) does not expire and has no expiry date, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that with the introduction of the multi-purpose INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED), which will facilitate Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) on Election Day, Smart Card Reader (SCR) will no longer be required.

Consequently, it would not matter what date is written on the card as “all PVCs previously issued by INEC can still be used for all elections conducted by the Commission” says Mr. Rotimi Ogunkanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman in a chat with the Nigerian Democratic Report (NDR)

As long as the security chip on it is not damaged, it remains valid. The Chief Technical Adviser to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Bolade Eyinla, also corroborated that the PVCs issued in recent years remain valid for all elections conducted by INEC, urging Nigerians not to attempt re-registration, if they already have PVCs.

“The PVCs issued to all previously registered voters remain valid. Statements like expiry date on PVC will only push eligible voters to register more than once, thereby creating the problem of double and multiple registrations,” Professor Eyinla said.
The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, however, warns that, double registration is an offence under our laws. Eligible Nigerians are entitled to register only once. Once a name appears on the National Register of Voters, it stays there permanently.

“One of the very few instances where a name could be removed from the register is if there’s a strong and verifiable proof that the person bearing the name has died.” He explained.

Meanwhile INEC has intensified more efforts in mobilizing more Nigerians to use its online registration portal as of Monday (January 24)fresh registrants were 5,173,335. Completed online & physical registration amounted to 2,665,421; completed registration male were 1,344,813; female: 1,320,608; PWD 24,723.

It will be recalled that Senator Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while hosting some of his supporters, had claimed that there has been a decline in the number of eligible voters in recent times because PVCs have expired.

He urged his supporters to go and mobilise members of their household to go and register to get their PVCs as the ones they are currently holding may have expired.