The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is set to introduce downloadable Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs for voters who have misplaced or defaced their original cards.
The commission’s chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, ( SAN) made this known when he received the Director-General of National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in his office in Abuja on Wednesday.
Amupitan explained that the new technology was part of ongoing efforts to modernise Nigeria’s electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the downloadable PVC option would not be automatic or open to first-time registrants who have never collected a physical card.
He further stated that affected voters must formally lodge a complaint at least 90 days before an election to enable the commission process the replacement.
Amupitan disclosed that the commission would pilot the downloadable PVC technology during the off-cycle Osun governorship election in August.
The INEC chairman added that INEC was finalising work on a technology that would allow eligible citizens to complete their voter registration entirely online without visiting INEC offices for physical biometric capture.
