The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced Friday October 9, 2026, as the commencement date for the nationwide distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at a strategic workshop organised for media executives by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission.
Amupitan said newly produced PVCs would be made available at Local Government Area collection centres across the country for eligible voters to collect.
He said the development followed the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which attracted more than 10.7 million new registrants and increased the National Register of Voters to over 103 million.
“Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which captured over 10.6 million new applicants, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup. Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” he said.
The commission also introduced printable PVC technology during the third phase of the CVR, a move Amupitan said was aimed at reducing the time voters spend waiting for the production and collection of their cards.
He explained that the technology would also enable voters whose cards were lost or stolen to obtain replacements without enduring lengthy delays.
Meanwhile, INEC said the preliminary display of the voters’ register for claims and objections would take place from October 9 to 15.
The commission urged eligible voters to participate in the exercise and verify that their details were correctly captured.
According to INEC, the first phase of the CVR, conducted between August 25 and December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations.
The second phase, held from January 5 to April 17, 2026, produced 4,121,835 new registrants, while 3,867,997 people registered during the third phase between May 11 and July 26, 2026.
The commission said the three phases brought the total number of new registrants to 10,772,421 and pushed the National Register of Voters beyond 103 million.
